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Editorial: Hosting distinguished guests
The smooth organization of state visits by two heads of state this week shows that Jakarta is capable of acting as a good host for distinguished guests, erasing doubts about the capacity of security personnel in managing the safety of Indonesia’s special guests
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he smooth organization of state visits by two heads of state this week shows that Jakarta is capable of acting as a good host for distinguished guests, erasing doubts about the capacity of security personnel in managing the safety of Indonesia’s special guests.
The two-day visit of United States President Barack Obama and the simultaneous three-day visit by Austrian President Heinz Fischer proceeded practically uninterrupted, with no security problems reported. Surely, Jakarta has experienced much in receiving heads of state from across the globe. But organizing the visits of state guests, particularly a US president, needs extra effort to guarantee safety.
But Jakartans, particularly commuters, were the ones who suffered from the extra-cautious arrangements for the state visits. Hundreds of thousands of motorists were trapped on blocked roads for hours to give way for the distinguished guests. Many Jakartans might have understood, but others grumbled that they had “sacrificed” for the state guests.
President Obama was apparently aware of the situation. “The [city] landscape has changed completely.
When I first came here in 1967, I saw people riding on becak … a bicycle rickshaw thing. Now as president, I can’t even see any traffic because they block off all the streets, although my understanding is that Jakarta traffic is very tough,” he said during the joint press conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Jakarta may be proud of being capable of hosting a guest of Obama’s caliber. But, the authorities should not ignore complaints from those who were stuck for hours in gridlock, and must realize that the city will be busier in the coming years as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is heading towards a European Union (EU)-style community.
If ASEAN really becomes an organization like the EU, Jakarta will become its capital, just as Brussels is to the EU. This means Jakarta will have to host more representatives from ASEAN 10 member countries, with more state events expected in the city.
The question is whether Jakarta is capable if assuming this responsibility without sacrificing the interests of its residents?
The answer depends on whether the authorities – both city and central governments – can develop reliable, convenient and affordable public transportation so that urban workers do not rely so much on their cars for daily travel. Otherwise, a busier Jakarta will only cause more misery for its residents.
