Because I have been living in Jakarta since 1995, I can unfortunately confirm that everything in this article is true. It is very saddening that each new government brings very little with it in terms of change. What we get is more of the same: more corruption, more pollution, more sales of national assets, more justice-for-sale, more apathy towards the real problems that are faced by the people.
I keep wondering how long it will be before the people of this nation get a government that they can be proud of.
Gene
Jakarta: In Dire Need of Improvement
Some highlights:
· In between towering super-structures, humble kampongs house the majority of the city dwellers, who often have no access to basic sanitation, running water or waste management.
· While almost all major capitals in the Southeast Asian region are investing heavily in public transportation, parks, playgrounds, sidewalks and cultural institutions like museums, concert halls and convention centers, Jakarta remains brutally and determinately ‘pro-market’ profit-driven and openly indifferent to the plight of a majority of its citizens who are poor.
· Despite the fact that the Indonesian capital is for many foreign visitors a ‘hell on earth,’ the local media describes Jakarta as “modern,” “cosmopolitan,” and “a sprawling metropolis.”
· Despite being a maritime city, Jakarta has been separated from the sea, with the only focal point being Ancol, with a tiny, mostly decrepit walkway along the dirty beach dotted with private businesses.
· There are no sidewalks in the entire city, if one applies international standards to the word “sidewalk.”
· In Jakarta, there are hardly any benches for people to sit and relax, and no free drinking water fountains or public toilets.
· The country spends the third lowest amount in the world on education (according to The Economist, only1.2 percent of its GDP) after Equatorial Guinea and Ecuador (there the situation is now rapidly improving with the new progressive government).
· Could this statement be reversed? Can Jakarta find the strength and solidarity to mobilize in time catch up with Kuala Lumpur? Can decency overcome greed? Can corruption be eradicated and replaced by creativity? Can private villas shrink in size and green spaces, public housing, playgrounds, libraries, schools and hospitals expand? An outsider like me can observe, tell the story and ask questions. Only the people of Jakarta can offer the answers and solutions.
Read the full article here:
Jakarta: In Dire Need of Improvement
Andre Vltchek
Worldpress.org contributing editor
July 26, 2007
