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Analysis: Jakarta settles for second-rate leaders in global city transformation
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Jakarta gubernatorial candidates Ridwan Kamil (fifth left) and his running mate Suswono (fourth left), Dharma Ponrekun (fifth right) and running mate Kun Wardana (fourth right) and Pramono Anung (third right) and running mate Rano Karno (second right) pose with officials from the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU) during the peaceful campaign declaration for the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election at the Jakarta History Museum in Kota Tua in West Jakarta, on Sept. 24. (Antara/Herjoko Bald)
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s Jakarta prepares to lose its status as the capital city of Indonesia, it is striving to remain as the country’s main economic, financial and even cultural center. In short, it wants to be recognized as a “global city”. It needs a governor that can lead the transformation, but the three candidates contesting the November gubernatorial election failed to impress in the recent first round of debates discussing the prospects of the global city.
Though rules of the debate may have been too stiff and restrictive for candidates to express their ideas well, they still came short on innovative or radical ideas that Jakarta needs to address major and complex problems. The city has a population of 10.5 million, but its population doubles during the day time with people from satellite towns coming in to work.
Moving the seat of government to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, if and when it happens, may ease the pressure, with up to 1 million government workers and their families getting relocated there, but Jakarta still needs leaders capable of managing the transformation.
In the 2023 Global City Index. Jakarta ranked 74 out of 156 cities surveyed, trailing Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok. The index, by Oxford Economics, ranks cities in terms of economics, human capital, quality of life, the environment and governance.
The lack of appealing candidates in the upcoming election can be traced to the nominations. They are not among the people’s first choices. The two former Jakarta governors, Anies Baswedan and Basuki Tjahaja “Ahok” Purnama, who topped the list of most popular figures in opinion polls failed to get election tickets.
Competition and wheeling and dealing among political parties determined the candidates that can contest the Nov. 27 election.
They are second-rate candidates, not the best the city deserves. Not that they are short of experience in government, but the debate revealed they lack ideas on how to address perennial problems like flooding, traffic congestion, pollution, unemployment and poverty, as well as new ones that will come with the transformation.
