T

his is a comment on an article 'Jokowi, again, talks of a new Jakarta,' (The Jakarta Post, May 18, p9).

Jakarta needs no rebranding. It needs rebuilding. No one is interested in carnivals or MICE. Jakartans (and other Indonesians) need clean water and air, working public transportation systems and safe streets.

Police need to do their work ' upholding the law, imposing heavy punishment for littering, reckless driving, vandalism and etc.; and the money must not go to their own pockets and, of course, fighting crime bravely.

Give an opportunity for ethnic Chinese Jakartans to shape the city. It is a fact that the greatest cities in Asia Pacific ' Vancouver, LA, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland ' listen to and appreciate their ethnic Chinese population.

Kuala Lumpur achieves many things Jakarta doesn't because of its ethnic Chinese influence. Surabaya is becoming cleaner as it is taking lessons from Singapore and appreciates the views of ethnic Chinese Surabayans.

Stop blaming malls (this is not Jokowi's doing, but that of many Jakartans). They are the symptom, not the disease. People will not go to museums or public parks as long as they are dangerous, dark, and decrepit.

Stop blaming private cars. People will not take public transportation if it is terrible.

Stop being maverick politicians and start being city builders. This goes for both Joko Widodo and Basuki Tjahaya Purnama.

Set clear benchmarks. Jakarta has to admit that it's slightly worse than Bangkok and on a par with Manila. At least Manila has an MRT system. Do not make comparisons with faraway cities in Europe or Latin America.

Be flexible. Being ideological gets us nowhere. If it solves the deficit and it's good for the environment and for the taxpayers, then it's good.

At this point, Jakarta needs something top down instead of horizontal. No point being horizontal if no suggestions are converted into projects.

Streamline the bureaucracy. I'm tired of explanations: 'Oh, that's the transport's business...or is it the municipal park's?' or 'Oh, that's not the police's responsibility'.

The citizen has to take on a heavy responsibility. Plan your trips, manage your waste and be good to each other. If you complain that nobody does anything good, then do something good.

Mario Rustan
Bandung