I

n recent years, Jakarta officials may have become versed in pompous words, such as green building, emissions test, biopore and disaster mitigation, as part of global initiatives in environmental preservation and climate change brouhaha.

And several programs and campaign projects have been launched to impress upon residents of the capital that they follow state-of-the-art global trends.

The administration has planned to make its office buildings an example of green buildings. It has also campaigned for new buildings to equip themselves with water retention wells or biopores.

The city's environment management agency has also been aggressively campaigning for emissions tests for vehicles, a car-free day campaign and smoke-free zones.

No one would ostensibly argue the nobility, importance or urgency of such causes. But, people may question why such noble, important and urgent causes seem like distant issues for the residents and their daily lives.

Are Jakartans so indifferent that they don't heed the calls enthusiastically?

I don't think that is the case after the administration has reportedly completed its draft for the 2010-2030 spatial planning master plan.

In drawing up such a crucial plan for the city, that will affect residents for the next 20 years, the administration has failed to do one of the most basic and important things: Welcome feedback and input from the residents themselves.

It is out of the question to assume that the administration did not know that the old spatial plan would expire in 2010 and that it should have prepared a new one, since the 2007 Law on Provincial Spatial Planning stipulates that all provinces must have finalized new plans by April 2009.

The fact is public participation in the formulation of this draft has been limited.

No public announcements or exposes were made last year. Residents were left in the dark about the course the city intends to traverse over the next two decades.

The Jakarta Council itself had not received the draft until the end of last year.

Information in the draft was leaked by a group of urban activists recently. And, here we go.

There are many questions arising from the draft's assumptions and articles, but unfortunately there is limited time and access for the public to discuss and offer revisions.

Time constraints have repeatedly been blamed for not involving residents in most policy-making and projects.

But, for such big thing like this spatial plan, which will affect the lives of more than 10 million Jakartans for the next 20 years, time can always wait.

As the plan is about residents and will affect their lives, there is no justification in leaving it in the hands of only a few movers and shakers.

And residents no doubt would have something to say about the city's spatial planning ideas.

For instance, they have often complained about the massive development of malls and high-rise buildings in the city, which have led to worsening traffic congestion, the disappearance of parks and greenery, and a groundwater crisis as most of those tall buildings rely on groundwater rather than tap water.

People might want to know how many more malls and high-rise buildings will be built in the city. Does Jakarta need more tall buildings?

Residents also have the right to know and participate in the decision-making processes concerning how many parks and green areas to restore. If the administration says the open and green space target for the next 20 years will be the same as the current target, which is supposed to be met by 2010, then it should also explain why.

Residents may also want to know what modes of transportation the administration will develop to solve chronic traffic congestion across the city

Jakartans might want to know what is in store for the spatial planning for housing amid widespread conversion of homes into commercial premises in areas such as Pondok Indah, Menteng, Kebayoran Baru and Tebet.

Many other questions could be listed.

And, as it has done in the past, the administration can just ignore these questions and tell the people to just follow. Protests will mount, but soon they will abate and the issue will be forgotten.

But, this also means Jakarta will be going nowhere for the next 20 years.