“Ke Jakarta aku kan kembali, walau pun apa yang kan terjadi,” (To Jakarta, I shall return, no matter what will happen). This line from the song Kembali ke Jakarta (Return to Jakarta) by Koes Plus, a popular band in late 60s and early 70s, still encapsulates the views of many Indonesians about their capital city.

As today will likely see the peak of the influx of people returning to the capital from their long Idul Fitri holidays, we would like to raise the issue of urbanization with our readers, many of whom also came to this city many years ago looking for better opportunities.

Yes, many Indonesians from across the country still dream of coming to the city. They believe the city is a guarantee of a better future for them.

They don’t care about the fact that there are many tragic stories of migrant workers who came to the city looking for work and who are now jobless and homeless, forced to live under bridges or in makeshift homes.

These days, Jakarta welcomes large number of newcomers who come to the city with their relatives or friends after celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns.

The newcomers ignore routine warnings from the Jakarta city administration that the city does not want their presence. The city is already overpopulated. The 2010 census showed that the Jakarta population has reached 9.6 million, up from 8.3 million 10 years ago.

The city administration estimates that no less than 150,000 newcomers will arrive in the city days after Idul Fitri.

Their arrival will surely add to the already complicated problems in the city, to name a few: Traffic congestion, high unemployment, flooding, housing shortage, slum areas, an increasing number of street vendors, severe air and water pollution and poor sanitation.

The city authorities have long been trying to deal with urbanization. They have passed a bylaw that requires newcomers to present a document issued by their hometown’s administration explaining the reason for their moving to Jakarta. He or she is also required to have a place to live and proof of employment.

But all of these efforts have proven fruitless. The public’s appetite for life in the big apple remains high. They have the same dream of coming to Jakarta, as did so many of the city’s current population, many of whom live in poverty.

The city authorities cannot prevent people from coming to the city. It is an Indonesian’s right, after all, to live in whatever part of the country they please.

What we, particularly the policy makers, can do is to change their preconception that Jakarta is the only promising place for their future.

However, this is only possible if the country is able to reduce the economic disparity between Jakarta and other regions, particularly outside of Java.

And it is the job of the government to develop new centers of growth outside of Java, such as Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua and other islands.

We may start by seriously following up the ongoing discourse about moving to the capital. It seems that further discussion should be on how to materialize the idea, including deciding a time table in which to carry out the program.

We agree with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that Jakarta is no longer an ideal capital. But we cannot prevent people from moving to Jakarta. What we can do is ensure that other cities have the same opportunities as Jakarta.

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