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Jakarta Post

To serve is a choice

The plethora of awards — both international and domestic — that have been bestowed upon Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini are an obvious testament to her achievements in transforming the neglected East Java capital into a world class city, as is apparent from its first-class public parks and great and comfortable environment.

Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, April 1, 2019

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To serve is a choice Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini (left) meets with the city's people in a sideline of her work. (Kompas/Bahana Patra Gupta)

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he plethora of awards — both international and domestic — that have been bestowed upon Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini are an obvious testament to her achievements in transforming the neglected East Java capital into a world class city, as is apparent from its first-class public parks and great and comfortable environment. Risma, as she is popularly known, has also won praise for her success in tidying up the city’s illegal settlements and street vendors, as well as cleaning up its notorious image as the home of Southeast Asia’s biggest red light district.

As discussed in our special report in today’s paper, Risma’s popularity and renown is clear from her landslide reelection victory in December 2010, when she secured more than 86 percent of the vote. She assumed office for the first time in 2010.

However, despite her phenomenal achievements, her record remains far from perfect. Many have criticized her endeavors to beautify the city, arguing that she has neglected the livelihoods of the city’s poor who have been evicted. She has also come under fire for closing down all of the city’s six red light districts, called Dolly, as while it may have cleaned up Surabaya’s image it has only pushed the sex industry workers into surrounding cities.

Risma herself has admitted that she still has much more to do to develop Indonesia’s second-largest city, particularly in terms of infrastructure, and has suggested that the city’s development must continue beyond one mayor’s time in office, including hers. Continuity matters, no matter who the mayor is.

She has also faced challenges leading and managing the pluralistic city. She has had to dedicate much of her energy to convincing the city’s residents and bureaucracy to change their mindsets and embrace her development programs.

Risma is now in the final years of her second and final term as Surabaya mayor. In light of her achievements so far, she has been widely tipped for higher positions with greater responsibilities. With the presidential election approaching, she has been rumored to be among the candidates to fill a position in the next Cabinet.

She has flatly dismissed these reports, insisting that she was not in a position to decide her next field of service. She has always maintained that when her term ends in two years, she will continue to serve the people, even though she will no longer hold a position in government or public office.

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