Rangga D. Fadillah and Fikri Zaki Muhammadi, Jakarta – Despite a high satisfaction level with their general performance, Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama have not impressed Jakarta's residents in the way they have handled the city's notorious traffic congestion, a survey has found.
As many as 54.3 percent of 400 respondents believe Jokowi has not made any difference compared to his predecessors, Sutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo, in solving traffic congestion, Indo Barometer's survey says.
"As many as 28.7 percent of respondents also think that in terms of providing good public transportation for Jakarta residents, Jokowi has failed to draw a clear line with his predecessors," said Indo Barometer executive director Muhammad Qodari on Thursday.
The survey reveals that 64.3 percent of respondents blame the high volume of private vehicles for the congestion, and according to 26 percent of them, the most reasonable solution is to limit the number of vehicles on the streets.
However, Qodari underlined a phenomenon he termed as an "anomaly", where the satisfaction level of Jokowi and Ahok's performance was higher than the vote they garnered in the election. Usually, after a year, the level of satisfaction decreased as the public began to see the real capabilities of the top leaders, he added.
"As many as 87.5 percent of respondents say they are satisfied with Jokowi's performance, while 85.8 percent are satisfied with Ahok's," he explained.
The survey also says that 81.7 percent of respondents think the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) program is a success, with 72.6 percent saying the same for the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) program.
"Positive perceptions of Jokowi and Ahok's performances run parallel with their willingness to listen to people's aspirations, communicate the problems they are facing and put forward solutions. They are also supported by strong media coverage," Qodari argued.
City councilor Igo Ilham of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) claimed despite the positive reviews Jokowi and Ahok received from the public, they did had not offered any new programs. Almost all their ideas had been introduced by previous governors, he continued.
"KJS and KJP, for example, were introduced during [former governor] Sutiyoso's tenure. Jokowi and Ahok just give them new names. The difference is the coverage is larger because the current budget allows it, while in the past, the budget was limited," he said.
Achmad Izzul Waro from the Busway Mania community criticized Jokowi and Ahok's priorities in their attempts to resolve the city's chaotic traffic by launching the long-awaited mass rapid transit (MRT) project and restarting the construction of the monorail. Achmad said choosing the two giant projects over the expansion of the Transjakarta fleet was a mistake.
"The two megaprojects will certainly worsen the traffic in the next four years. Unfortunately, after they're done, the MRT and the monorail will not be able to carry as many people as Transjakarta. There are only a number of lines being served," he said on Thursday.
Achmad said more traffic misery would especially occur on Jl. Jendral Sudirman in Central Jakarta. "This road is already a mess on normal days. The situation will become a disaster when the construction of the underground MRT stations begin," he said.
According to him, the station's construction will require huge excavations on the road, limiting space further. The technique is referred to as an "open cut".
Jakarta Transportation Council chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan added the administration should focus on passing the transportation bylaw, to serve as a basis in developing mass transportation in coming years.