Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The popular Jakarta Governor, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo finally responded to attacks launched by the Democratic Party (PD) on Tuesday.

Responding to a statement from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that the regional government was responsible for traffic congestion, Jokowi said he could not be held solely responsible for the problem.

"Dealing with the traffic is not only Jakarta's business, but also the central government's. Both parties must cooperate with synergy to address the problem," said Jokowi, who has been in charge of Jakarta since last year. Jokowi said he was also encumbered by regulations put in place by the central government.

"I am in charge as the governor, but many aspects [in the transportation sector] are under the control of the central government. Traffic in Jakarta, for example, comes from many areas outside of my territory and that is where the central government should play its role, such as by setting up a Greater Jakarta Transportation Authority," said Jokowi.

Yudhoyono's veiled attack on Jokowi was made during a meeting with members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) at the Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java on Monday.

In response to complaints from businessmen over the traffic problem, which contributed to their production costs, the President spoke with some state leaders during the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Brunei Darussalam, last month.

"I was stunned when some prime ministers said they were concerned about the traffic in Jakarta. They said it could take two hours to reach city center from the airport. They asked 'What is the solution?' I just felt uncomfortable with the question. It was the governor who should have answered such a question," Yudhoyono said.

He added it was the regional administration that should come up with a solution to the problem, especially since the implementation of regional autonomy. "If you have issues with Jakarta's traffic woes, you have Jokowi [to answer for it]. If it is in Bandung [the capital city of West Java province], go to [West Java Governor] Ahmad Heryawan or the mayor of Bandung," he said.

Jokowi had earlier complained that policies from the central government did not help Jakarta deal with its problems, questioning the central government's decision to provide fiscal incentives, which included reducing the luxury tax on the low-cost green car (LCGC).

The policy would not only cost trillions of rupiah from the luxury tax, but it also undermined the central government-endorsed 17-step program to mitigate traffic congestion in the city as it would flood the capital and neighboring cities with cheap cars.

Political and public policy analyst Andrinof Chaniago said Yudhoyono's statement was "inappropriate", because "out of nine major causes of traffic jams, three were under the central government's responsibilities."

The three, according to him, are the lack of political will to implement a macro transportation scheme, the poor policy on housing and urbanization. "After failing to deal with the three issues properly, Yudhoyono instead issued the LCGC policy," Andrinof said.

The PD appears to have stepped up attacks on Jokowi, who analysts consider as the presidential candidate to beat in the 2014 election. PD lawmaker Ramadhan Pohan earlier said Jokowi was partly responsible for the wiretapping program conducted by the US and Australia, by giving a construction permit to the US Embassy building in Jakarta.