JP/Ricky Yudhistira
Some time at the end of 2012, former Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo is watching TV at home.

The TV is running live the footage of a peaceful and successful direct governor election in Jakarta where the newly-elected Governor is giving HER inaugural speech.

Her? Yes. She is the first woman ever to become the governor of Jakarta.

She opens her speech with her gratitude to the former governor and deputy governor.

“My fellow residents of Jakarta, I want to thank former governor Fauzi Bowo and his deputy Prijanto since I have inherited a metropolis, which is a testament to a round of successes and a plethora of accomplished missions,” she says.

“Look around you. Few private cars are now running on the city’s streets and we enjoy clear and clean air! He [Fauzi] managed to phase old cars, buses and vehicles out of the city and to consistently impose strict bylaws on emissions after he found that in 2008 and 2009 the traffic in the city was getting worse while the city’s air was getting heavily polluted due to vehicular emissions,” says the governor, who has a doctorate, like Fauzi.

“He [Fauzi] heeded the call of most pundits on city transport: limit the number of  vehicles and improve public transport! And, it works wonder!” she says.

“He has completed the full tilt operation of the Transjakarta busway routes and improved the feeder services, not to mention building car parks in the most strategic locations to allow the passengers to have a park-and-ride lifestyle,” she says.

“After the Transjakarta project was nearly all put on hold in 2008 and 2009 following the unending feuds with the operators, the administration under Pak Fauzi had fired on all cylinders to settle the problems and worked out the rest of the routes besides improving services, and solving the problems which had been on every passenger’s list of complaints: to organize integration of the network with other means of transport, provide comfy buses and reliable schedules,” she says.

“And, now we have more good news. MRT construction has reached 90 percent thanks to the administration’s initiative under governor Fauzi to speed up the development of mass transport that is well integrated with the Transjakarta,” she says.

The newly installed governor then goes on with addressing issues on the perennial problem of the city: Floods.

 “Floods are now out of the question,” she says.

“The administration has learnt well from the tragedy of the Situ Gintung dam burst that killed 100 and flattened hundreds of homes in March 2009. Angered by slow reactions and lack of proactive moves from relevant authorities including the central government and Tangerang administration in the aftermath of the disaster in 2009, he took the lead in commanding the coordination process and made all the agencies work hard. He even ordered massive development of water catchment areas in the city, as he did in 2009 with the conversion of 27 filling stations into parks, in order to bring the number of areas prone to flooding down to zero today from 99 flood-crisis-spots in 2009 and 78 flood-crisis-spots in 2008,” she explains.

“He coordinated very well with the authorities in Greater Jakarta to restore lakes and dams, bring down villas in Puncak and finish the East Flood Canal project,” she adds.

“As he required all households to build water catchment wells and biopores, so water crises are no longer a concern in the capital,” she says.

“He also imposed stern sanctions on those using groundwater and required all households to use tap water while his administration paid more serious attention in cooperation with partners to supply sufficient potable water for residents.

After Madame Governor finished her speech, her running mate, took her turn to give her speech.
Her again? Yes, the deputy governor, too, is the first woman deputy governor of the city.

“We are pleased to announce that our city has now become a service city, something, which was introduced by governor Fauzi-Prijanto’s  administration since 2009. And, that’s not lip service.

Currently, there is certainty in doing business and legal protection to all businesses,” says the deputy governor, who is herself a businesswoman.

“Unlike in 2009 where most businesses suffered big losses due to unending power blackouts, we currently enjoy reliable electricity supply thanks to intensified cooperation between the administration and state-power company PT PLN to crack down on illegal power thefts coupled with a series of good campaigns to save energy in public as well as private buildings along with requirements to use environmentally friendly materials for high rise,” she says.

“The administration under Pak Fauzi and Prijanto has been consistent to do what they started in 2009 to seal off homes, which had been converted into business premises in Menteng, Kebayoran Baru and Pondok Indah and other areas.

They have upheld strictly the zoning system that rules on areas for housing and businesses and showed no favoritism in their iron fist approach,” she says.

“In short, the administration sticks to what it plans in the spatial master plan 2010-2020,” she says.

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.

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