TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Risma chooses Surabaya, not Jakarta despite popularity
Victory parade: Elected Mayor Tri Rismaharini waves to supporters while deputy mayor Whisnu Sakti Buana steers their old jeep toward the East Java Gubernatorial office in Surabaya on Wednesday
Change Size
Victory parade: Elected Mayor Tri Rismaharini waves to supporters while deputy mayor Whisnu Sakti Buana steers their old jeep toward the East Java Gubernatorial office in Surabaya on Wednesday. Governor Soekarwo inaugurated Risma and Whisnu on Wednesday along with 16 regents, mayors and their deputies each of whom won positions in the recent regional elections.(JP/Wahyoe Boedhiwardhana) (JP/Wahyoe Boedhiwardhana)
V
span class="inline inline-center">Victory parade: Elected Mayor Tri Rismaharini waves to supporters while deputy mayor Whisnu Sakti Buana steers their old jeep toward the East Java Gubernatorial office in Surabaya on Wednesday. Governor Soekarwo inaugurated Risma and Whisnu on Wednesday along with 16 regents, mayors and their deputies each of whom won positions in the recent regional elections.(JP/Wahyoe Boedhiwardhana)
Reelected Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini has decided to remain the top official in Surabaya, East Java, rather than run against Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race.
'I will focus on realizing my campaign promises to the people of Surabaya, especially because of the close relationship I have with them. They elected me,' Risma, as the mayor is widely known, said prior to her swearing in at the Grahadi State Building, Surabaya, on Wednesday.
She said she had not considered running in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, arguing that handling the welfare of Surabayans was difficult enough.
'We are not just helping the people but empowering them economically to make them independent,' said Risma who won the prestigious Bung Hatta Anti-Corruption Award last year.
Several surveys, including one recently conducted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, revealed that Risma, a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), would make for a strong contender against the popular Ahok.
Risma was sworn in by East Java Governor Soekarwo along with nine other pairs of elected regents and vice regents who won the simultaneous regional election on Dec. 9, 2015.
Those sworn in included Sidoarjo Regent Saiful Illah and Deputy Regent Muhammad Nur Syaifudin, Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Anwar and Deputy Regent Yusuf Widiatmoko, Situbondo Regent Dadang Wigiarto and Deputy Regent Yoyok Mulyadi. Also sworn in were Mojokerto Regent Mustafa Kemal Pasha and Deputy Regent Pungkasiadi, Sumenep Regent Busyro Karim and Deputy Regent Achmad Fauzi, Gresik Regent Sambari Halim and Deputy Regent Qoshim, Lamongan Regent Fadli and Deputy Regent Kartika Hidayati, Jember Regent Faida M. and Deputy Regent Mukhid Muqit and Trenggalek Regent Emil Dardak and Deputy Regent Nur Arifin.
Thousands of PDI-P members and supporters accompanied Risma and running mate Whisnu Sakti Buana to the Grahadi Building. The two rode in an open jeep while their supporters made the 2-kilometer journey on foot.
'The swearing-in ceremony is just a symbol to start the five years of work ahead. The most important thing is not the ceremony but the next five years of work in Surabaya,' Risma said.
She added that her first move after being sworn in would be to distribute scholarships to Surabayan doctors, to support them to continue their studies and to improve
their role in offering health services in the city.
She said she would also offer scholarships to school and university students in Surabaya as part of a human resources development program in the face of the ASEAN Economic Community.
Risma said she would also focus on flooding caused by the overflowing Surabaya River. She said she would consult with the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry to deepen and widen the river and get rid of the thick sedimentation.
She will also ask those living along the riverbanks to move to apartments to prevent Surabaya from experiencing recurrent flooding, she said.
East Java Parliament Watch coordinator Umar Salahudin said that problems related to infrastructure was work that Risma had to solve during her five-year term of office. Among the planned infrastructure projects are the construction of the eastern and western outer ring roads, the Middle East ring road and the frontage of Jl. Ahmad Yani.
'This infrastructure will hopefully be able to answer the problem of traffic congestion in Surabaya and facilitate investment in the city,' Umar said.
