TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
City rapped over unresponsiveness
A citizen’s coalition on the 2030 spatial plan has expressed disappointment with the city administration for not seeking public participation in the plan
Change Size
A
citizen’s coalition on the 2030 spatial plan has expressed disappointment with the city administration for not seeking public participation in the plan.
Coalition member Suryono Herlambang said the Jakarta Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) had not focused on responding to their demand for a greater public role.
“Bappeda has shown an open attitude ... But they fell short of explaining what mechanism they would use [to invite greater public feedback],” Herlambang told The Jakarta Post on Thursday after a meeting with Bappeda.
He added the coalition had demanded Governor Fauzi Bowo find a way to expose the draft directly to the residents.
“Fauzi has never officially divulged the plan in the media to involve residents in a public discussion,” he said.
The coalition also urged the administration to respond through its website, http://www.rtrwjakarta2030.com,/ to the public feedback and suggestions on the plan.
Bappeda head Nurfakih Wirawan said the governor would announce the plan to the public soon.
“The deliberation on the draft plan will be begin with the governor’s speech,” he said.
“During that time, we’ll publish the draft plan in the media.”
He added his office had noted the suggestions on the draft that had been submitted through the website, but said they could not answer the questions immediately as they were still formulating the responses.
Nurfakih said his office would hold another meeting with the coalition and other public representatives to discuss key topics in the draft, including on infrastructure and city utilities, before the end of the month.
“They can point out which articles they want revised. We need concrete input,” he said.
He suggested that public observers also submit their input to the City Council, which is solely responsible for passing the draft into law.
“The councilors have constituents, right? You can also give your input to us,” Nurfakih said.
At Thursday’s meeting, attended by dozens of observers and stakeholders, Nurfakih said his office was still out at sea about how to increase public participation in drafting the spatial plan.
“Maybe [this meeting] is the chance to agree on the right scheme,” he said.
In contrast to Nurfakih’s claim, a 2009 Public Works Ministry regulation on guidelines for provincial spatial planning clearly outlines how to gather public input.
The regulation stipulates that a focus group discussion, such as that held by Bappeda, was only one way to hear citizens’ suggestions.
Other methods include open meetings, announcements through the media, brochures, posters, cultural events such as shadow-puppet shows that convey the relevant information, and exhibitions.
During the meeting, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) spatial planning expert Djoko Sujarto said the city should translate the technical vernacular in the academic draft into language that most regular residents would understand.
Herlambang agreed, adding an important approach in raising public awareness of the plan was to
address relevant issues related to daily life.
“For instance, don’t talk about water management system, but rather clean water needs,” he said.
Spatial agency head Wiriyatmoko said his office was preparing an exhibition for the city’s spatial design, to be held at the agency building in the City Hall grounds.
“The governor will officially open it next week,” he said.
