A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – The Thousand Islands regency has launched a bid, backed by city councilors, to take over four artificial islands left behind after a troubled project, in hopes of accelerating the development of Jakarta's only island administration.
Islets C, D, G and N would be removed from the North Jakarta municipality and re-administered by the Thousand Islands, regent Junaedi suggested in a proposal to acting Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono.
"The proposal is for the four reclaimed islands on Jakarta's northern coast," Junaedi stated on Wednesday, state news agency Antara reported. He said that Heru was currently studying the proposal.
The islets are what remain of the Jakarta Bay reclamation project, after previous governor Anies Baswedan revoked the development permits for 13 artificial island projects in September 2018 because of a lack of due diligence.
Islets C, D and G, which have been collectively renamed Kita Maju Bersama Beach, were developed by private companies, while islet N is a project managed by state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II.
The Thousand Islands regency comprises numerous small islands north of Jakarta and Banten, with the center of the administration located on Pramuka Island, some 57 kilometers from the coast of Jakarta. The cluster of islands is accessible by ferry or boat.
Junaedi said the proposal was tabled to address the social inequality that prevailed in the island regency, in hopes that it would attract businesses and investment and create jobs for the islands' residents.
Based on a 2020 regulation on the administration of the Jabodetabekpunjur (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Puncak and Cianjur) area, the man-made islets are covered under B8 zoning rules, which refers to areas with a low load carrying capacity, but for which construction for commerce and tourism is allowed.
Several Jakarta Legislative Council members have thrown their support behind the Thousand Islands regent's proposal, saying that it would help spark development.
The Council's chairman of Commission A overseeing governance, Mujiyono, said he agreed with the suggestion that the proposal would likely bring the intended effects, although the plan should be discussed with the council first to determine the legal basis for the transfer.
"The regulation for changing administrative lines must be clear. Another way we can distribute development evenly [to the Thousand Islands] is by developing the tourism industry, revitalizing public infrastructure and improving marine transportation, among others," the Democratic Party politician said on Thursday, Kompas daily reported.
The commission has always argued that the regency needs more care and attention from the state, which could take the form of an increased development allocation in the city budget.
Another councilor, A. Gembong Warsono, also supported the motion, noting however that close attention should be paid to the fact that the Jakarta administration renamed some of the islets in a 2018 gubernatorial decree.
According to the decree, islets C, D and G were renamed into the Kita, Maju and Bersama beaches, respectively.
"If the names of the islets remained as they were initially, as islands, then the regent's request would be easily accommodated. But because they were renamed as beaches, we would need to study the proposal first, to prevent any future problems," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said.
Currently, Kita Maju Bersama Beach is equipped with public infrastructure such as a fishing port and market, low-cost housing and a waste disposal facility, and has been designated a site for replanting indigenous plant species.