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Silence from Anies, City Hall has journalists questioning administration's transparency
No updates have been provided in the past few weeks, leaving reporters wondering about the city’s latest developments and lacking confirmation on the Jakarta administration’s programs.
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Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan leads a ceremony in National Monument (Monas) area in Central Jakarta on Sept. 17 to commemorate National Transportation Day. (JP/Rafaela Chandra)
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akarta Governor Anies Baswedan has left journalists wondering about his commitment to information transparency, as he has been unavailable for journalists in the two weeks since the start of his second year in office.
The governor's media team customarily shares his daily schedule with journalists at City Hall through a WhatsApp group. However, no updates have been provided in the past few weeks, leaving reporters wondering about the city’s latest developments and lacking confirmation on the Jakarta administration’s programs.
Since Oct. 4, City Hall has revealed only three of the governor's activities, namely the second phase of the construction of bike lanes and their launch on Oct. 12, a press conference on Anies' second year in office on Oct. 15 and Jakarta's Public Third Room photo exhibition on Saturday.
Though much of Anies’ whereabouts have been unknown to City Hall journalists, the governor occasionally shares his work-related activities through social media.
The radio silence has raised concerns that the administration is deliberately clamping down on media access to public information and the city’s high-ranking officials.
During a press conference last Tuesday, Anies did not respond to a journalist's question regarding the matter.
"[Journalists] must know by now that I will announce [policies] only when all [the plans] are completed," he told reporters during the press conference, responding to another question about the Kampung Akuarium restoration plan and remunicipalization progress.
