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strong>Jan. 13, p2

The Jakarta administration has decided to cancel its contract with monorail project operator PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) to develop the monorail routes proposed by the firm. The problematic monorail project began in 2004 under then governor Sutiyoso.  The construction resumed in October 2013, with JM as contractor.

However, its construction has not progressed following disagreements between the city and the company. Moreover, the city administration is doubtful of the company'€™s ability to fund the project. Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said that the city was currently drafting a letter to JM to end cooperation.

'€œWe have decided that the project cannot go on with PT Jakarta Monorail. We will send a letter to the company to cancel cooperation and halt all activities,'€ Ahok told reporters after a meeting with apparatus working units at City Hall in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Your comments:

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) needs to look very seriously at the actions of former governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo to see whether trying to restart this project was either massively dishonest or massively incompetent.

In either case, whoever is responsible for the latest round of emptying public coffers for a project that never had any chance of success should be in prison.

Bagon

Face it, this project indeed was started in 2004 and has seen no progress, so why expect JM'€™s attitude ever to change?

I say cut them out once and for all, and get the job done swiftly by appointing a new, competent contractor.

Lindon Jonson

While addressing the problem with JM, I think the local government should start thinking about constructing monorail lines in other places such as from Cibubur and Bekasi to central Jakarta. If this idea can be realized, it will reduce traffic in the center
significantly.

Orchar Charad

Transfer the tremendous budget allocation for the monorail to build an electric tram system, bike lanes, buses, sidewalks, parks and rest areas all over the city complete with shading trees and colorful flowers to invite birds and butterflies.

Make the city as human-friendly as possible to encourage people to use public transportation and leave their cars at home. These facilities are all much cheaper and technically much easier to build and maintain than the fancy monorail system.

These facilities are available in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other cities in Holland. In Surabaya before the 1960s, electric trams, bike lanes and sidewalks were available all over the city until they were removed in 1960 for unknown reasons.

Robby Kaware

The monorail was a terrible idea for Jakarta; its impact on the city'€™s problem of transporting millions and millions of people would have been negligible. It is far better to invest the money in the MRT.

The cancellation of this and the Sunda Strait bridge is the some of the best news to come out of Indonesia in recent memory '€” both these projects seemed designed to allow well-connected politicians and their cronies to squeeze trillions of rupiah from ordinary Indonesians.

Fidens

Shame on you, Indonesia, for another administration failure. This monorail really benefits the people. Malaysia, for example, has four train systems.

Mizaroom

Once again it comes back to nothing being done for many years and who can hand bags full of cash to someone in a bidding war. Meanwhile, the people of Jakarta lose out again.

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