REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By Asma Nadia

Statement by the President over traffic congestion in Jakarta which is the responsibility of the Governor of DKI Jakarta caused widespread polemic.

Moreover, the statement responded by the governor with a reply that the congestion in Jakarta is not fully the responsibility of local governments.

There are roads and sidewalks which are actually the responsibility of the central government, in addition to cheap car policy - which was opposed by the governor - also has great potential to add congestion.

Though the polemic is still within reasonable limits, this intersection however showed no consistency of policy between city administration and central government. In fact, for a problem with huge magnitude it should have a good partnership as it related to the interest of many people.

This difference sharpened different vision of both parties on addressing traffic congestion in Jakarta, which is not only an everlasting, but also a fairly chronic problem.

Government on September 2010 had designed 17 steps to parse traffic congestion in Jakarta. One of the recommendations is to set up a six-lane flyover in Jakarta.

Ministry of Public Works agreed to make the roads as toll roads. Related draft was recommended long before the former mayor of Surakarta was served as the number one in Jakarta.

However, at City Hall recently in November 2013, Jokowi actually considered the construction of the toll road is not a priority.

"We prioritize mass transit transportation. Monorail will be built first, the MRT will be developed first. Indeed we have lack new roads, its just 6 percent from ideally 11 per cent. But, if it (mass transport) is built, the new (highway) will be built," he said.

Congestion in Jakarta resulted in material losses amounting to Rp12.8 trillion per year. Not to mention the operating loss, stress levels, and time. Imagine the money was enough to build thousands of kilometers of new roads.

So, what's the solution?

I'm not an expert in the affairs and management of urban development, but I believe it need revolutionary ideas to solve traffic congestion in Jakarta.

Trying to explore the various ideas that have sprung up, I saw a major breakthrough which does not seem bad to reconsider. The idea of even-odd, for example, until now has not been tested which is in fact, a matter of simply going to happen when reducing 50 percent of the vehicle from roads. 

The worst scenario had happened, the rich people will buy cars again, and an increasing number of four-wheeled vehicles, but only about 10 percent on rise. Because, however, it's not many people could buy two cars.

Another idea that sounds more revolutionary is to transfer state capital out of Jakarta, which will put the city as business metropolis like New York or Sydney, a big city which is not the capital city. Even South Africa has the capital and the legislative center in separate cities.

In history, Indonesia has ever experienced capital displacement several times. Several other countries were able to move the capital to a right city.

Plus, it cannot be denied, chronic congestion in Jakarta often occurs associated with the activities of the central government.

When it hosts a head of state or their cars passing by, definitely several roads will be closed for a while.

In addition, if a particular demonstration held in front of the palace or in front of the parliament building, especially when the demonstrators walked along the main street, most of the main roads in Jakarta will be paralyzed.

Capital transfer not only reduces congestion, but it open possibilities for nation to do new achievement, beside it obviously will prosper areas in other parts of Indonesia.

The cost is not cheap, but do not we get rid of Rp12.8 trillion per year due to traffic congestion?

Kalimantan as an island free from the risk of an earthquake could be a good candidate for the nation's capital compared to Jakarta which 40 percent of its surface was under water level, prone to floods, earthquakes and traffic jam.

Papua and Sulawesi are also good candidates, at least as legislative capital where lawmakers gather and live. This idea is not just to break the bottleneck, but it really makes Member of Parliament to concentrate producing legislation.

It seems there is too much temptation in Jakarta so that the productivity of our representatives is often disrupted.

Ed: M Irwan Ariefyanto

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