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our administrative violations occurred in the closure of Jl. Jatibaru in Tanah Abang by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan last December, the Ombudsman has said.

In a press conference attended on Monday by Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah, Jakarta Police regional inspector Comr. Komarul Z. and Directorate General of Regional Autonomy autonomous region division head Sartono, the Ombudsman’s Jakarta representative, Dominikus Dalu, detailed the four charges: incompetency, deviation of procedure, neglect of legal obligations and unlawful actions.

The Ombudsman team accused the governor and the Jakarta Small and Medium Enterprises Agency of incompetency due to a rushed and unclear planning process as well as a lack of a centralized plan to accommodate the street vendors currently occupying Jl. Jatibaru.

The Jakarta administration and the Jakarta Transportation Agency were accused of deviating from regular procedure when it failed to obtain clearance from the Jakarta Police traffic division. They allegedly violated Article 128 of Law No. 22/2009 on traffic, which stipulates the National Police’s discretion in road usage.

Furthermore, the governor allegedly violated Law No. 30/2014 and Regional Bylaw No. 1/2012, therefore neglecting the administration’s legal obligations.

Finally, by changing the road’s function, the administration was accused of breaking Law No. 38/2004 on roads, Law No. 22/2009 on traffic, Government Regulation No. 34/2006 on roads, Jakarta Bylaw No. 8/2007 on public order and Regional Bylaw No. 5/2014 on transportation.

To rectify the issue, the Ombudsman team requested that the administration evaluate the spatial planning of Tanah Abang and return Jl. Jatibaru to its original function.

According to Dominikus, the Jakarta administration had been given 30 days to fulfill the requests. “The administration must report to us on the progress and steps they are taking in the 30-day period. Meanwhile, the vendors on Jl. Jatibaru should be relocated and the street should return to its original function within 60 days,” said Dominikus.

Jl. Jatibaru has been embroiled in controversy since its closure to accommodate the hundreds of street vendors currently occupying the road, which is closed to all traffic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the exception of Transjakarta’s Tanah Abang Explorer buses.

The closure has drawn criticism from all sides. Angkot (public minivan) drivers previously protested the closure, claiming it threatened their livelihoods.

A group of public minivan drivers sent a reprimand letter to Anies on March 7, demanding that he open Jl. Jatibaru within five days or else face legal action.

The drivers filed their lawsuit on March 13 to the Central Jakarta District Court through their lawyer Ferdian Sutanto, while naming Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi as defendants. (jlm)