Jakarta's deputy governor has found himself in hot water following his decision to ignore a newly implemented regulation for local government workers to commute to work using public transport or by bicycle on the first Friday of every month.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama caused uproar as he seemingly disregarded the regulation drawn up by his superior, Governor Joko Widodo, and elected to travel by car. Last Friday, Basuki was seen arriving at City Hall in a vehicle from his Pluit, North Jakarta, home.
Questioned by reporters, Basuki said Joko wanted to train employees to get used to using public transport but that for now, there was no thought of what sanctions could be applied to those who decided not to follow the policy.
The deputy governor went on to say it would not be very efficient if he were to travel by bus or motorcycle taxi while his bodyguard followed behind in a car.
Analysts and politicians have lined up to criticize his actions, with some suggesting his behavior bordered on arrogance and set a bad example for other city employees.
"Ahok's behavior will affect the behavior of his subordinates. The general idea of that gubernatorial instruction was to appeal to civil servants to sacrifice some comfort by taking public transportation," said Hamdi Muluk, a political communications expert at the University of Indonesia, on Saturday.
Hamdi added that Basuki should not have told people it was too much of a hassle for him to use public transport, saying it showed a degree of insensitivity towards the many Jakartans that have no choice but to use public transportation. "If it was a hassle to take the bus, he could've taken a taxi," he said.
The governor's regulation was designed to encourage people to leave private vehicles at home and use other transport options to help with efforts aimed at easing traffic congestion, and Basuki's decision to ignore the regulation was symbolic as much as anything, Hamdi said.
Hamdi said that Basuki should be praised for much of the work he has done since taking office but this reaction was a disappointment, saying "Yes, sacrifices have to be made but for it to work sacrifices must be made by everyone or it won't be effective."
Voicing a similar opinion, Yayat Supriana, an expert on city planning, said "this is not only Ahok's [Basuki's nickname] problem but also the problem of other civil servants in Jakarta," Yayat was quoted as saying by inilah.com.
Yayat acknowledged that the problem Jakarta faces is a transportation infrastructure that is incongruous with its spatial planning. Distance between the workplace and home is, for many, significant and with little or no convenient public transportation on offer to accommodate workers' needs private vehicles are a preferred option.
Triwitjaksana, deputy speaker of the Jakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), also criticized Basuki, saying that there were three official residences close to City Hall that he could use.
"Ahok should not have acted that way especially since Governor Jokowi's [Joko's nickname] 'one day without a car' program for civil servants was intended to create clean air and to reduce the traffic congestion," Triwitjaksana said on Saturday. "If Joko can cycle to the office every Friday they why is Basuki, his deputy, defying the regulation?" he asked.
Another city legislator also referred to the empty, city-owned properties. Ahmad Husin Alaydrus said he couldn't accept Basuki's excuse about living far from the office as he had the choice of living in one of the three official residences near city hall and vacant since former governor Fauzi Bowo was in charge. "Take one of them. The distance isn't far so he can still cycle," he said.
Karel Susetyo, a researcher with Point Indonesia slammed Basuki as being arrogant and lacking commitment to create a clean bureaucracy.
"Basuki seems arrogant. This is not the first time he's shown arrogance. His action to defy his superior's policy reflects badly on the governor's image," Karel was quoted as saying by inilah.com on Sunday.
"Thousands of civil servants live far from their work place but they are still willing and able to comply with the governor's instruction," Karel said.
Karel said a clean bureaucracy should be built with loyalty towards the system. "Leadership means showing good examples. What Basuki has displayed weakens Joko's leadership," Karel said. "I think it's time the governor reprimanded his subordinate so that he could stop being arrogant."
However, not everyone criticized Basuki's attitude. Amir Hamzah, an expert on city spatial planning, said Basuki had made the right decision.
"That's because the governor and deputy governor are bound by the law on protocol. They have to follow that. Ahok would break the law if he complied with the instruction," he said.
Amir pointed out that under the law on governor and deputy governor protocol, both are prescribed to receive escorts when they travel, special vehicles, official residences and more.
"The instruction will not run effectively because it would be difficult to supervise them [administration workers]. The [overall] aim of the instruction to reduce private vehicle usage is positive but the implementation will not be effective." Amir said Joko issued the policy because the city administration was already having a headache in trying to solve the traffic congestion problem.