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New bill could strip Jakartans of right to elect their governor
The Jakarta special designation bill, which seeks to provide a legal framework for the city’s position when it loses its capital status next year, has sparked concerns over a provision that could strip the city’s 10 million residents of their right to elect a governor.
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The Jakarta skyline is pictured shrouded in a blanket of smog on June 24, 2023.
(AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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bill under discussion in the House of Representatives that seeks to provide a legal framework for Jakarta's position when it loses its capital status next year has sparked concerns over a provision that could strip the city’s 10 million residents of their right to elect a governor.
With August of next year as the government’s deadline for moving the national capital to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, the House is working on the Jakarta special designation bill to replace the 2007 Jakarta Capital Law while maintaining the 500-year-old city as the country’s economic center by upholding its designation as an autonomous province.
During a House plenary session on Tuesday, eight of the nine political parties represented in the legislature agreed to endorse the bill as a House initiative, with only the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in opposition.
The next step would be for lawmakers and the government to discuss the legislation before a House vote on its passage into law.
But some lawmakers and observers have taken issue with a provision in the bill that gives, according to a copy obtained by The Jakarta Post, the president the sole authority to appoint and dismiss Jakarta governors and deputy governors, after considering input from the Jakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD).
According to the bill, the appointed governor would serve for five years and would be eligible for a second term of the same length. The regional leader would also, as in the city’s current arrangement, be responsible for appointing the mayors and regent of Jakarta’s constituent municipalities and regency.
Read also: Jakarta aims to become global city after capital relocation
