Unloved metropolis

Unloved metropolis

One of the myriad problems for the Indonesian capital city,
Jakarta, which celebrates its 476th anniversary tomorrow, is its
residents' mood of apathy and indifference.

People's lack of empathy toward others can be seen everywhere,
at any time. People easily get irked when asked not to smoke on a
public bus, arguing that there is no law prohibiting people from
smoking on a public transportation vehicle. People drop litter or
dump garbage anywhere they want, in defiance of regulations,
easily getting angry when reminded that littering is against the
law.

The city's chaotic traffic is the most blatant evidence of
people's selfish attitude and indifference toward others.
Motorists ignore traffic lights, putting the safety of other road
users at risk, and no one, including traffic police, dare stop
them. Public transport vehicles stopping in the middle of
intersections to take and drop passengers, ignoring the long
lines of other vehicles building up behind them, color the
Jakarta traffic scene every day.

Observers suggest that Jakarta's motorists have been growing
more and more inconsiderate on the streets because traffic police
often turn a blind eye to violators, in return for money. People
also know that public services are delivered more quickly upon
payment of extra money. The more money given to officials, the
better the service. The consequence is that the officials
effectively condone violations committed by the public.

Indifference toward the environment is also commonplace among
Jakarta's residents. Most sewers and ditches in residential areas
also function as dumps, in which neighborhood residents throw
their household garbage every day, despite the perpetual danger
of flooding due to the blocked drainage system.

Worse still, the disregard that many residents display toward
the city's public facilities is truly breathtaking. Vandalism on
public buses and trains is just one glaring example of a lack of
a sense of common ownership and responsibility shown by city
residents.

To be fair, however, it is reasonable to assume that there
must be an explanation for this apathy and irresponsibility among
Jakarta's residents with regard to the interests of their fellow
citizens and their surroundings.

Some observers speculate that Jakarta's residents suffer from
distress due to the daily rat race to which they are subject
every day of their lives, and due to the chaos they have to
tolerate, year in, year out, with no sign of improvement. The
fierce competition they face in order to survive is one factor
that makes people behave more selfishly.

It is most unfortunate that both the central government and
the city administration have still not found any formula to deal
with these phenomena. On the contrary, policies drawn up by the
government have frequently provoked people to align themselves in
different "warring" groups, the most recent example being the
heated dispute between Muslims and non-Muslims over the national
education bill. The fact that the public is rarely, if ever,
involved in the making of crucial decisions that affect them is
more proof, if any were needed, that the people themselves are
not yet considered to be important enough stakeholders in the
process of development.

The reelection of Governor Sutiyoso, after a process allegedly
riddled with corruption, remains a big unanswered question to
many. The electoral system was a failure, as it ignored public
demands for a direct election in which candidates could present
their ideas on how to improve the people's lot and cure the
city's many illnesses. Sutiyoso's legal responsibility in the
deadly raid on the then Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
headquarters in Jakarta in 1996 was irrevocably expunged as
President Megawati Soekarnoputri -- then PDI chairperson -- was
subsequently the most influential backer of Sutiyoso's
undemocratic reelection. Corruption, too, is still rampant within
the bureaucracy, with law enforcers seemingly incapable of
addressing it in any meaningful way.

Given all of this, the conclusion is that law enforcement is
the key to remedying the social ills plaguing Jakarta. Poor law
enforcement has created a lack of social civility in Jakarta and
has strengthened feelings of jealousy between different groups in
society, with the result that frustration and apathy continue to
thrive in the community.

Jakarta has failed to fulfill the nation's expectations that
it could effectively become a cultural melting pot for its
residents, who hail from all parts of the archipelago. Jakarta
has failed to be a city where civil society and democracy are
well promoted.

What we now witness is a combination of public indifference
and apathy on one hand, and corrupt officials and the
administration's lack of a clear platform on how to improve the
situation on the other. We can see clearly how both the
administration and public have failed to keep Jakarta civilized
and humane. Neither knows how to respect and cherish its city.

Happy anniversary, Jakarta.