J

akarta Acting Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama has expressed his disappointment with the Public Works Agency which he says should be held responsible for the poor condition of many roads across the city.

He specifically mentioned many sections of roads damaged by heavy rain during the wet season and the high number of potholes despite the zero-potholes program.

He said the Public Works Agency had made no progress during his 20 months in office.

'€œMost work is done by private companies through their corporate social responsibility [CSR] programs or public and social facility obligation schemes,'€ he said.

Ahok said he was even suspicious of agency officials and whether they intentionally declined to
do their main jobs as an act of insubordination.

'€œWhere have you been this past 20 months?'€ he asked.

Ahok cited for instance potholes on the road near his private residence in Pluit, North Jakarta.

'€œThere is a big pothole on Jl. Ekor Kuning near my house in Pluit, North Jakarta. The big hole has frequently caused gridlock and caused traffic accidents for motorcyclists,'€ he said.

Ahok said he had already asked the agency to repair the hole but this was never done. '€œThey finally patched the hole after I scolded the officials in public,'€ he said.

He said he also once asked the agency to remove a small raised structure that Transjakarta buses knocked into every time they turned around. '€œThey never implemented my order. I then asked a private entity to do the work and it was immediately demolished,'€ he said.

Ahok who will become permanent governor if non-active governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo wins the presidential election, said he could not accept the conventional reason that the complex bidding process hindered the agency in carrying out its road-repair projects.

'€œWe have the electronic catalog now through which we can directly order the materials,'€ he said.

Ahok said he would probably replace the agency head and the
deputy head.

'€œHowever, I have to wait for the result of the presidential election. If Jokowi comes back to the administration, he will make the decision,'€ he said.

Ahok said he would give more time to the agency up to 2015. '€œIf the agency fails to raise its game, I will not appoint any officials to the agency anymore,'€ he said.

Separately, speaking of recent flooding that had caused traffic chaos, Public Works Agency head Manggas Rudy Siahaan said the inundations occurred for various reasons, ranging from heavy rainfall, blocked drains and rivers overflowing due to sedimentation.

'€œSome flooding was caused by ongoing projects, such as that on Jl. Cikini Raya,'€ he said.