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.