Dofa Fasila & Arientha Primanita – Jakarta has been accused of passing a spatial master plan for the city that puts the interests of developers above those of residents.

Ahmad Safrudin, from Jakarta Coalition 2030, a group that closely monitored discussions of the master spatial plan bylaw, or RTRW, said the legislation, which was passed on Wednesday, did not accommodate people's needs for the next 20 years.

The bylaw, which was due to be passed in 2010 but was held up by lengthy deliberations, should have reflected the interests of ordinary Jakartans, he said. Instead, he added, it would only profit certain parties, among them developers.

"Developers have a strong interest in spatial and zoning issues because it is very profitable if they can get the go-ahead and the permits for their projects," he said.

Two issues in the bylaw that Ahmad said he found particularly troubling and that should have been open to more public discussion were reclamation work on the north coast of Jakarta and the construction of elevated roads.

"This is a very important bylaw for the development of the capital," he said. "There are so many interests involved in the city. Not only the Jakarta administration and the City Council but also developers."

Wiriyatmoko, head of Jakarta's urban planning agency, denied any back-room dealings in the passage of the 2011-30 master spatial plan.

"We never had any negotiations with anyone in passing this bylaw," he said. "Deliberations were delayed because we also took input from civil society, urban planners and the media."

Triwisaksana, deputy chairman of the Jakarta legislative council, also denied any bribery or secret deals. "Everything was done according to regulation," he said.

Three members of the legislative council, Sayogo Hedrosubroto, Inggard Joshua and Lulung Lunggana, had at one point walked out on a session discussing the bill in a show of anger over the direction of the bylaw.

The three councilors demanded a more stringent bylaw that would have required the government to follow the spatial plan more rigidly. They wanted the bylaw to prevent the use of land for purposes other than those for which it was intended.

One area that has been the source of a heated debate is the upscale neighborhood of Kemang in South Jakarta. The new spatial plan calls for the area to be converted from a residential complex into a business area.