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Ahok threatens to sack another agency head
Jakarta Governor Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama hinted on Monday that he would sack Transportation Agency head Muhammad Akbar as he announced that he was unsatisfied with Akbarâs performance
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akarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama hinted on Monday that he would sack Transportation Agency head Muhammad Akbar as he announced that he was unsatisfied with Akbar's performance.
Akbar was only recently promoted to become Transportation Agency head earlier this year in February after former agency head Udar Pristono was moved to another unit and later detained as a suspect in the faulty Transjakarta bus case.
'The Transportation Agency head's performance has been very slow. I don't understand what he's doing. The tender for the ERP [electronic road pricing] system has not been conducted and several other projects have been delayed,' Ahok told reporters at City Hall.
Earlier this year, the city administration started the trial to test the ERP gates installed on Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta and Jl. HR Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, involving Norwegian firm Q-free and Sweden-based Kapsch.
'I have already told the agency head that the tender had to be completed this year. But I do not understand why he's so slow,' Ahok said.
Ahok went on to say that Akbar also cancelled the tender for the construction of the pedestrian bridge connecting Tanah Abang train station to Tanah Abang Blok G market in Central Jakarta.
'The tender was completed but [Akbar] suddenly cancelled the tender. I don't understand. It seems like they are playing games. If they play games, then we will play games as well. We will demote the officials responsible for all these delays,' Ahok said.
Meanwhile, Akbar could not be contacted to respond to Ahok's comments. Akbar previously said that the tender for the ERP system would start in 2015.
Separately, Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) head Edi Nursalam defended Akbar and said that the city's ongoing projects would take a while to complete.
'Some of the projects take time to implement and this is beyond Pak Akbar's control. For example, the ERP trial could take up to one year. The tender process would also take a while. The implementation must also wait for a gubernatorial decree,' Edi said.
Edi added that Akbar had succeeded in implementing some important policies. 'For example, the Transportation Agency has started to tow illegally parked cars under Pak Akbar. The agency also implemented the parking meter system on Jl. Sabang in Central Jakarta and has prohibited motorcycles along the city's main streets,' Edi said.
