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Heru’s return marks start of lengthy Jakarta transition
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Head of the City Administration’s Finance and Asset Management Heru Budi Hartono works in his office at City Hall on March 4. (kompas.com/Alsadad Rudi )
F
ormer Jakarta administrator-turned-State Palace insider Heru Budi Hartono officially assumed his role as the capital’s caretaker governor on Monday, beginning a lengthy term that could run into 2024.
However, analysts are unconvinced he will make much of a mark in the post-Anies Baswedan era, as they see him more as leading a transitional period for a city about to lose its status as Indonesia’s capital.
“From the three names submitted by the Jakarta City Council, the President, together with several ministers and other heads of government institutions, selected Heru as Jakarta’s interim governor,” Home Minister Tito Karnavian said when inaugurating Heru.
Heru will also maintain his current position as the head of the Presidential Secretariat, but with two deputies filling in for him at the Palace.
In an interview with Kompas on Thursday, Heru listed the three key issues he was prioritizing as per the instructions of President Joko “Jokowi'' Widodo. “The President has given me the mandate to solve three issues, flood mitigation, traffic management and city planning,” Heru said.
But as interim governor, analysts noted that Heru would not have much wriggle room in enacting new policies for Jakarta. Political researcher Noory Okthariza of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) perceived Heru’s appointment as a way for the central government to push its own agenda ahead of the planned relocation of the nation's capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan in 2024.
“Given his limited time [until a definitive governor is elected through election in late 2024], Heru probably will not focus on making monumental changes,” Noory told The Jakarta Post on Monday. “Dealing with floods and traffic is a must for any Jakarta governor, but Heru will be focusing on delivering what the central government wants out of Jakarta.”
