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As 2024 nears, Jakarta's flooding becomes political
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A man makes his way through a street flooded due to heavy rain in a residential area of Jakarta on Oct. 6. (AFP/Andre May)
D
ays after receiving the NasDem Party’s backing for the 2024 presidential race, outgoing Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is facing renewed criticism over his handling of the city’s perennial flooding problem, including from the central government and the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Anies, who has served as Jakarta’s governor since 2017, will leave office on Sunday, and an interim governor will fill the position until a definitive one is elected in 2024 to accomodate a shift in the regional election schedule.
On Friday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed a member of his inner circle – Presidential Secretariat chief Heru Budi Hartono – to the position and has since instructed Heru to prioritize flood mitigation in what some observers have taken as swipe against the outgoing governor.
“Flooding and traffic jams are the two most pressing problems facing Jakarta, and I expect to see [Heru] making significant inroads in handling them," Jokowi said.
After heavy downpours last week, floods were reported along six major roads and in 80 neighborhood units (RTs) across the capital city, with pictures on social media showing Kemang, South Jakarta, among the hardest hit areas.
Read also: 3 dead in Jakarta floods after school wall collapse
Amid the reports, Anies claimed the city’s flooding problem was perceived to be much worse than it actually was.
