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n a move to forge strong bonds with civil servants of the Jakarta administration, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his deputy Sandiaga Uno, who had been in office for just five days, saw off roughly 8,000 Jakarta civil servants who were participating in an organized walk at the Gunung Mas tea plantation in Puncak, Bogor, West Java, on Saturday morning.

Anies, Sandiaga and their entourage arrived at the plantation at about 6 a.m. Hundreds of civil servants swarmed around their new leaders to take photos with them or to merely shake the leaders’ hands.

City secretary Saefullah, who gave the opening speech on a stage, praised Anies and Sandiaga’s good intentions of attending the annual activity, which was aimed at increasing unity and solidarity among Jakarta civil servants.

Saefullah said it was the first time in the past five years that such an activity had been attended by a governor. Anies and Sandiaga both took their wives to the event.

Anies and Sandiaga, who both wore sportswear, took turns to make short remarks on the stage. The leaders emphasized that unity and solidarity were necessary in making Jakarta a better city.

Anies called on the thousands of civil servants who worked in a polluted city on a daily basis to enjoy their time at the tea plantation, where the air was clean and fresh.

“We will work together and prove than we can make Jakarta a better city. Today, enjoy the clean air and fresh nature. Imagine if we could make Jakarta as clean and fresh as this place,” Anies told his subordinates.

After their remarks, the pair descended from the stage and went straight to a small dais near the starting line of the tea walk. Anies, Sandiaga, their wives and some top officials at the administration alternately saw off groups of civil servants to start the tea walk.

Anies was the first one to see off a group of civil servants working at various boards at the administration, including the Jakarta Tax and Levy Board and the Jakarta One-stop Integrated Service Board, by swinging a black and white checkered flag as a sign to start their walk.

After all the civil servants had started their walk, Anies and Sandiaga immediately left the event to attend to other matters in Jakarta. Sandiaga left first at 8 a.m., followed by Anies, who left the site about half an hour later after answering journalists’ questions.

On their way back to Jakarta, Anies and his entourage reportedly violated a traffic regulation by driving against the traffic flow. The entourage, comprising five cars and a police escort, descended Puncak during hours that the road to Jakarta had been closed to traffic to accommodate motorists going in the opposite direction.

On weekends, the Bogor Police enforce a one-way traffic system for vehicles from Jakarta heading to Puncak, and vice versa, to ease traffic. The mountainous Puncak resort area is a popular getaway destination for Jakartans, especially on weekends.

The one-way traffic system starts at 9 a.m. for vehicles from Jakarta heading to Puncak, and is in force for two and a half hours until 11:30 a.m., while traffic flow is reversed from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m..

Bogor Police’s traffic management unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hasby Ristama, who oversees traffic in the area, regretted Anies’ move, saying that only in emergencies were people allowed to disregard the regulation, like a woman who was about to give birth or a critically ill person.

“I once prohibited a minister from driving against the traffic flow and suggested an alternative route for him to take. The minister, thankfully, obeyed the regulation,” Hasby said, adding that he had suggested that Anies and his entourage take an alternative route, but the suggestion was rejected.

The police did not ticket Anies and his entourage.