'Jakarta is not as friendly as before'

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 06/22/2006 1:29 PM  |  Jakarta

Jakarta celebrates its 479th anniversary Friday. Despite debates among historians about the actual age of the capital, the largest port city during the Dutch colonial era has rapidly become a metropolis. The Jakarta Post asked people how they see Jakarta now and how the city could be made a better place to live in.

Winasti, 42, works in public relations at a state-owned hotel in Central Jakarta. She lives in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta:

I am pretty indifferent about commemorations of the city's anniversary. Although the city has achieved a lot, it has lost a lot too.

For example, when I was younger I enjoyed going to the Jakarta Fair because Betawi food and handicraft stalls were positioned alongside technology exhibits.

But now I think it's a tad boring because the stalls generally stock big labels. It's become a commercial venture.

The city's buildings are getting taller and there are more turnpikes, but the quality of living is not improving. The air is polluted and street children are everywhere.

Jamil, 52, is a taxi driver. He lives in Kalimalang, off East Jakarta and now part of Bekasi:

I still remember when much of my neighborhood was a forest. But now we rarely see tree-lined streets in this city. They have been replaced with shop-houses and other commercial premises.

I pity the younger generation who have been marginalized by the city. They lost their childhood homes because the area where they lived was converted into a shopping mall; then they had to go and live in Depok, Bogor, Tangerang or Bekasi.

What I want is a more humane city. No more evictions, no more clashes with the poor and everybody upholding the law. What I mean is, if a group of people attack another group, justifying the attack with their believes, the authorities should punish them, no matter what. Thuggery makes this city no longer comfortable to live in.

Khoesen Karim turns 69 on Friday. He is a piano tuner and has been living in Jakarta since 1962. He now lives in Cengkareng, West Jakarta:

I remember when I first came to Jakarta in 1957. At that time, the city was not as busy as today. I'd take a tram from Kota to Tanah Abang.

Jakarta was not very crowded back then. There were few slum areas and Ciliwung River was clean enough for swimming.

I know things have changed. We now have the busway and Sutiyoso has promised a monorail, but the city's population continue to increase as a result of urbanization.

The next governor must be able to deal with urbanization. The city is not as friendly as it used to be.

-- The Jakarta Post

Readers, in conjunction with Jakarta's anniversary, we welcome your views and suggestions on making the city a more pleasant place to live in. Please make comments concise (not more than 150 words), and provide your daytime phone number and faxed identity card (KTP, KITAS or Passport). Send to the city editor at city@thejakartapost.com.