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fter one year in office, and despite his fractious character, Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama retains a good deal of support among the capital'€™s denizens.

Yuliana Pratiwi, a 23-year-old resident of Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, said that Ahok had had a positive effect on Jakarta, especially in public services, though she had harsh words for the city'€™s public transportation.

'€œPublic transportation in Jakarta needs a total overhaul, and soon. People are longing for safe, comfortable and congestion-free public transportation,'€ she said.

Yuliana is only one of many Jakartans who are satisfied by concrete improvements enacted by Ahok.

Cyrus Network has released the results of a survey showing a rise in the number of respondents who believe that Ahok and his deputy Djarot Saiful Hidayat have performed commendably.

'€œIn the past year, Ahok has managed to turn around Jakartans'€™ dissatisfaction with his administration,'€ Cyrus Network managing director Eko Dafid Afianto said as quoted by kompas.com.

The survey revealed that the number of respondents who were confident in Ahok'€™s ability to improve Jakarta had increased from 44.8 percent in April to 56.4 percent this month. Meanwhile, those who were dissatisfied decreased from 43.5 percent in April to 32.9 percent in November.

Cyrus interviewed 1,000 respondents aged at least 17 years old or already married. The network claimed that the margin of error was 3.1 percent.

Public policy expert Agus Pambagio also praised Ahok'€™s achievements, highlighting the governor'€™s success in improving public services and providing cleaner waterways. However, he said, there was still room for improvement.

'€œFor example, he has been a little too cavalier in his promoting and demoting of civil servants. This could have a negative effect on the continuity of certain policies and projects, causing low budget spending. Ahok also needs to improve his political communication skills so he can interact positively with city councilors,'€ he said over the phone.

Deputy Jakarta City Council chairman Triwisaksana gave the administration'€™s performance a score of five out of 10.

'€œThere are three positive aspects to Pak Ahok'€™s performance: the e-budgeting, which is transparent and accountable; the establishment of district-level One-Stop Integrated Service [PTSP] offices; and the provision of Jakarta Smart Cards [KJP] and Jakarta Health Cards [KJS] for the poor,'€ he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Triwisaksana also highlighted three factors still needing improvement: public transportation and traffic congestion, low budget spending and the province'€™s budget mechanism, which was this year criticized by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

In one year of his administration, Ahok has enacted a number of breakthrough policies and programs, including integrated child-friendly public spaces (RPTRA), a program dreamt up by his wife Veronica Tan. By default the head of the Family Welfare Movement (PKK), Veronica has enacted her vision of developing RPTRAs across the city, inviting sociologists to conduct social mapping so that residents of all ages can enjoy the facilities provided in the RPTRAs.

Bureaucratic reform has been another mainstay of Ahok'€™s first year in office; his first move was to dismiss officials he felt were chronically mediocre or underperforming. Senior civil servants in Jakarta are now moved at least once every two months.

Ahok has himself noted that his administration has room for improvement, citing as an example bus procurement for city-owned bus operator PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta), a process which he described as '€œcomplex'€.

'€œSome individuals are also still trying to exploit the city budget for their own benefit. That'€™s something that still needs to be fixed,'€ he told reporters at City Hall on Thursday.