T

he city administration is seeking the right to run the historical Kota Tua (Old Town) tourism site in West Jakarta under a management authority.

Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency chief Arie Budiman said on Monday that the authority should be comprised of representatives of the administration, the central government, private firms and local residents.

'€œThe body would regulate and manage the infrastructure, traffic, open and green spaces as well as the physical maintenanceof the buildings,'€ Arie said. '€œWe request that the central government issue a presidential decree or a government regulation as the legal basis for the formation of the body.'€

Arie said that many parties currently worked separately to manage the area, over which his agency had no power or resources to protect.

Half of the 280 historic buildings in Old Town are own by individuals, 134 are owned by state-owned companies six are under the administration'€™s care.

'€œWe cannot renovate damaged buildings or force the owners to do so because we don'€™t have the legal basis or the financial strength,'€ Arie said.

Enforcement of the 2010 Law on Cultural Heritage, which obliges owners to maintain their historical buildings, had been lacking, Arie added.

Jakarta Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo had written to the central government, suggesting schemes for buildings owned by state-owned companies to be handed over to the administration for maintenance, according to the official.

Arie said that he hoped that the administration would dedicate 2.5 percent of its annual local budget, around Rp 1.5 trillion (US$154 million), to manage the Old Town, up from a current Rp 30 billion.

Kartum Setiawan, the leader of Jelajah Budaya, a community of history lovers, said that he welcomed the plan and hoped that the proposed body could maintain the buildings and their environs as a historical and tourism site.

Kartum said that the agency did not need to take over the buildings owned by individuals and should use a carrot-and-stick approach to encourage compliance with regulations. '€œThe agency also needs to familiarize the building owners with the law.'€

Echoing Kartum, Robert Tambunan, the asset manager of Toko Merah, a historic building, said that owners wanted the Old Town managed by single body to accommodate their aspirations.

'€œOne of reasons the owners have been reluctant to renovate their buildings because it is hardly profitable for us,'€ Tambunan said, adding that many owners had abandoned the buildings as their businesses went south.