No honeymoon

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 11/03/2007 5:00 PM | Opinion

The case of Jl. Urip Sumoharjo in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, is a small success that helps prove that law and public order can be enforced in Jakarta, when the authorities are consistently disciplined in upholding the rules. Public order can be upheld in that crowded street because public order officers stand guard there, day in and day out.

After years of chaos, this street, including the Jatinegara market and train station, has been free of street vendors for several months. Governor Fauzi Bowo can make this small public order management success a starting point, before launching his ambitious 100-day agenda and even his five-year development plan. The Urip Sumoharjo example can form a part of confidence building measures for Fauzi's administration.

Twenty-two days after becoming the new Jakarta governor on Oct. 7, Fauzi announced his 100-day priorities on Monday. They include flood mitigation, traffic congestion remedies, revitalization of slums and support for the MRT project. But this time the governor won't be able to enjoy even a brief honeymoon period with his voters. People urgently need to see convincing if preliminary action from the governor.

In fact, the governor's platform isn't new, as all his predecessors made similar promises -- minus the relatively new plan for mass rapid transport. And since Fauzi has spent most of his career as a city official, even serving as Sutiyoso's deputy until Oct. 6, he has a full understanding of the pressing issues.

However, since the directly elected governor boasted on Monday ""I guarantee you that we'll finalize these programs within 100 days"", Jakartans need to keep in mind his previous acknowledgment that he has no magic recipe for instantly overcoming major problems facing the city, especially flooding and traffic.

Two of the biggest frustrations facing Jakartans are traffic jams and annual flooding. While the chaos caused by Sutiyoso's busway projects will likely continue at least for another few months, people want to see Fauzi demonstrate strong leadership by reducing the traffic headaches.

Public perception to the contrary, too many vehicles and too few streets is not the sole cause of our traffic chaos; it also results from poor traffic enforcement and a sad lack of discipline among Jakartans.

It is common to see motorists who are supposed to be law-abiding citizens violate traffic laws. Police and city traffic officers work hard to enforce traffic rules, but they are more likely to be perceived as extorting passersby than trying to create reliable public order.

Street vendors are omnipresent. City authorities fail to formally regulate their activities due to their large numbers and also because the informal sector is lucrative and benefits many, including city officials. While we fully empathize with proprietors of small businesses, street vendors need to remember that they should also become law-abiding citizens.

On floods, we completely agree with the governor that there will be no instant solution to stop the flooding. But people need to see a concerted effort on the part of the governor, such as deployment of all forces required to prepare for the rains. At least people can see more concrete activities now, like massive cleaning of the rivers, as preparation for the annual flood season.

By comparison with other provinces, Jakarta's advantage is its financial capability. While other provinces often complain about financial shortages, the Jakarta local government often finds its huge budget difficult to spend.

Unlike his predecessors, who were appointed by the president and thus had less sense of accountability to the public, Governor Fauzi Bowo has a strong mandate from the people to take the lead in creating a better Jakarta in the next five years. But at the same time, the voters will be in a position to exert pressure on the governor, whereas in the past only the local council or central government could do this.

Flooding and traffic congestion are not easy to tackle. But at least the governor is able to give convincing evidence that he is on the path to being able to manage the major causes of headaches for Jakartans.

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