M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko on Wednesday gave his response to a criticism that compared the national roadway constructions during the double terms of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY.
This criticism was voiced by presidential election candidate Anies Baswedan in a recent event, where he said Jokowi had focused more on building a network of paid toll roads that are only beneficial for certain groups of people. Anies claims it is a contrast to SBY's focus on the construction of national public roads.
Addressing the criticism, Moeldoko denies that every class in society is able to benefit from the roadways built under the Jokowi administration.
"Maybe for some who had not lived it will only see toll roads being used by high-end vehicle owners, however, buses are now already using the same toll roads to accommodate the masses," said the Presidential Chief of Staff on May 24.
He also claims to be one of those classified in this group of 'common people' who used to regularly use public transport that benefit from toll road access.
"A common man like myself is able to take a bus ride with affordable tariff under quick travel time and more guaranteed safety. Who enjoys it? Common people like myself as I use bus rides in my lifetime," said the retired military general.
Anies Baswedan, who is a former Jakarta governor planning to run for the presidency in the 2024 election, claims Jokowi had only focused on building paid toll roads despite not all Indonesian residents owning personal vehicles.
Anies said that during the Jokowi era, the toll roads that were successfully built were indeed the longest, 1,569 kilometers of the current total of 2,499 toll roads. This is equivalent to 63 percent of all paid toll roads in Indonesia.
However, said Anies, Jokowi only succeeded in building national roads or free public roads of approximately 19,000 kilometers. Anies Baswedan then compared this to the era of SBY which saw 144,000 kilometers of public roads built.