Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Housewife Siti Hawah, a resident of Cipinang Melayu, East Jakarta, concedes the environment is important. But a governor hopeful with a convincing program for economic recovery will still get her vote, she says.
Living in a housing complex in a low-lying area for more than 30 years, she is accustomed to the floods that inundate her house every year.
"Floods can't be prevented, it's the law of nature. So I'll vote for the candidate that promises to improve the economy and control the price of basic necessities," Siti said Wednesday.
"Since my husband's death five years ago, I've earned Rp 250,000 a month from working as a housemaid. With that amount, and still having to send my children to school, how can I survive if the price of basic necessities continues to rise?" the mother of five children asked.
Siti said she was hopeful the next governor would introduce policies to help the poor. "I receive a gas stove from the government but it's useless since I can't buy the gas, which costs Rp 15,000. I prefer buying kerosene which is only Rp 2,500 per liter for two days," she said.
Bram, a third semester student at Paramadina University, said he would vote for the candidate who could create jobs in the capital. "The high jobless rate is the main problem in Jakarta right now. The new governor must be able to create jobs," he said.
Bram said residents would protect the environment if they had higher incomes. "I care about air pollution and water crises, but I won't vote for a candidate that focuses on those issues. We can resolve them if the people are prosperous," he said.
Jakartans directly elect their governor for the first time on Aug. 8, with Fauzi Bowo and Prijanto facing off against Adang Daradjatun and Dani Anwar.
The economic hardship faced by many Jakartans is reflected in the administration's data which shows sluggish average economic growth of six percent per year over the past five years, compared to an average of nine percent in 2002.
According to the Jakarta Statistics Board, there were 160, 480 poor families earning less than US$2 per day in the capital in 2006, out of a total population of 9.04 million.
Poor families are often most affected by environmental woes such as air pollution, water shortages, flooding and unmanaged waste. Numerous measures have been taken by the administration to take on environmental problems such the recent air pollution control bylaw. However, poor law enforcement has held back effective implementation.
Green activists have expressed hopes that the new governor would take environmental issues more seriously.
But spatial planning expert Yayat Supriatna from Trisakti University warned that poor public awareness of environmental issues meant they would not be a vote winner at the election.
"The environment is not a saleable issue even though Jakartans are struggling with it everyday. There is low awareness among our people that this issue is also the key for a better life, not just economic growth," Yayat said.
For many residents, mostly from low-and-medium income households, the environment was a secondary issue, he said. "It can be seen in the case of the recent floods. There was no critical response from residents of the administration," he said.