Abdul Qowi Bastian – The most troubling issue Jakarta faces is the enormous social disparity between the haves and the have-nots, Governor Joko Widodo said on Thursday.
"The biggest challenge is the gap between the rich and the poor. The gap is huge, it's very dangerous," Joko told students at Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) during a public lecture.
That was why, he explained, the first six months of his term had been focussed on policy measures to narrow the social and economic gap.
Health and education prioritized
The governor said the two key planks in his social justice initiative were free health care via the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) and a monthly educational support stipend via the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP).
"To me, health and education are top priorities. Without them, don't expect to see productivity and creativity in Indonesia," he said.
Supporting measures include the building of low-cost apartments and a stated determination to enhance public transportation by starting work on the city's long-awaited mass rapid transit system.
The Jakarta Legislative Council passed in late February the Rp 49.9 trillion ($5.2 billion) budget required to support Joko's plans, with 27 percent – the biggest allocation – earmarked for education.
But a few months into the welfare initiative's implementation, reports of Jakarta hospitals refusing to treat patients have made headlines.
Jakartans with long-term ailments they could not afford to have treated have flooded health care facilities, resulting in an approximately 70 percent increase in patients. Community health care posts and hospitals were unprepared for the surge in patients.
The tragedy of a newborn baby denied treatment by 10 hospitals in February raised questions about hospitals' and government's commitment to the plan.
On Thursday Joko acknowledged to some extent the charge of implementing the policy without sufficient preparation, but argued that the welfare principle was sound and the cost of inaction was morally unsupportable.
"The KJS system is on the right track. But the puskesmas [community health centers] and hospitals aren't ready," he said. "But if we didn't launch KJS right away, it would have cost patients their lives. There [were previously] thousands of people dying untreated in their homes. So don't make a fuss if there's now one or two people going untreated in hospitals," he said.
University of Indonesia political analyst Andrinof Chaniago praised Joko's initiatives, saying that the KJS was a breakthrough in cutting through bureaucratic red tape preventing people from accessing health care services they were entitled to.
"We need to judge the governor by the first steps he has taken, which will develop over time. And in that regard, he has done plenty," Andrinof said.
Urban planning
Joko went on to say that his focus extended to revitalizing Jakarta's many impoverished areas and providing adequate public housing for the poor. "There are about 360 slum areas in Jakarta. So far this year we've begun working on 38 areas. If it goes well, we will revitalize 100 areas per year," he explained.
The Jakarta administration plans to improve the lives of shanty dwellers by constructing subsidized apartments for them to move into.
Joko has previously used the language of "vertical" or "tiered" villages, a concept where subsidized apartment blocks will include markets, health care facilities and public libraries.
"Previously, there have been only four to six low-cost apartments built per year. In my term, I will build 200 to 300 subsidized apartments every year," he said.
Andrinof said he respected the governor's enthusiasm, but regarded it as optimistic rather than realistic. "It still needs to be perfected. His target is unrealistic," Andrinof said.
MRT to start soon
Addressing the 6,000 attendees, the governor discussed other aspects of his plans for the nation's capital. Joko stressed that he was serious in his intention to kick off work on an MRT system this month.
"We will begin the MRT [development] this month. Whatever the means, it has to start now," he said, a promise that was met with applause from his audience.
Jakarta's MRT project was first given serious consideration in the 1990s, but faced an uncertain future until Joko decided last year to secure funding and begin work on the plan.
The cost of constructing the first phase of the system – from Lebak Bulus in the city's south to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, a northward run of 15.2 kilometers – has been priced at Rp 15.7 trillion. The central government has agreed to take on 58 percent of the construction cost.
The MRT, which is expected to take seven years to build, will be the first in the country, and Joko has admitted his administration would appreciate more assistance from another place with more experience in this field.
"I met with Singapore MRT companies the other week. Our human resources will be trained there. They will learn about its management and operational procedures," he said.
Joko also promised a parallel strategy to improve the city's road traffic problems by adding 1,000 more Kopaja and Metro Mini buses. He added that his administration had added 102 TransJakarta buses in an effort to optimize the dedicated bus lane network.
Azas Tigor Nainggolan, chairman of the Jakarta Transportation Committee, urged the governor to quickly put the plan into gear. "So far it's only an idea. Studies have been conducted and the budget is there. Why hasn't there been any real progress?" Azas said.
But Joko rejected the claim that he had been slow to tackle the capital's crippling traffic problem.
"The MRT was first conceived of 24 years ago, but nothing was done until now. I've been in office for five months, yet people criticise me for not starting the project sooner," said the governor who was inaugurated last October.
Flooding
Late last year when floods inundated the capital, the Jakarta administration announced a plan to build a deep tunnel to divert seasonal flood waters. But on Thursday, Joko appeared to play down the proposal, saying, "The deep tunnel is only an idea for now."
He acknowledged that Jakarta needed a system, like such a tunnel, to cope with the city's torrential rains. He even submitted a study on the proposed tunnel to the Jakarta Public Works Office in December.
The deep tunnel, with a diameter of 19 meters, would be built at a depth of 40 meters and will consist of three channels. The upper two channels would be for traffic, while the bottom one would be used to transmit water.
The deep tunnel project is estimated to cost Rp 16 trillion, which will come from the city budget and the private sector. It will take up to five years to complete. Once completed, it will run from Cawang in East Jakarta to Pluit in North Jakarta. "We are still processing and calculating the high cost," Joko said.
Azas argued that the deep tunnel was not a viable solution to tackle flood and traffic problems. "What's the point of building a tunnel if the people don't have the awareness of their environment?" Azas said.
During question-and-answer session with the students, Joko played down his desire to run for president next year.
"I want to focus first on Jakarta's problems: subsidized apartments, monorail, MRT, the social gap. Until now, I have not given a single thought to survey results. They don't matter to me," he said.
In a survey by Publica Research and Consultant released last month, Joko was the top choice for president among middle-class and urban voters. He attracted support from 16 percent of voters.
Andrinof did Joko was not likely to run for presidency next year. "We ought to blame those who don't think ahead. These are the people who are supposed to soften the issue and persuade him to focus on Jakarta," he said. "Let Jokowi be comfortable concentrating on Jakarta's issues."