REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, RIAU -- Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the penalty for littering in the capital city will be implemented starting in early 2014.
"We will decide soon as to whether it will be imposed starting in December 2013 or January 2014," Jokowi said, after participating in the opening of a Bank DKI branch office here on Saturday.
He said Jakarta will follow the example of Singapore in imposing a heavy fine against littering.
"Singapore is an example. People there are afraid of smoking (in the public places) and littering because they could be fined," he said.
Jakarta has long had a regional regulation on penalties for littering, but it was never implemented, he stated.
The policy on maintaining a clean city will never be effective without implementation of penalties, as well as close supervision, he added.
To apply penalties, the Jakarta administration will begin coordinating with legal enforcement agencies.
"We will establish cooperation with the National Police and the city's public order agency (Satpol PP)," the governor said.
The Jakarta administration is set to impose a penalty for littering, which is a violation of Law No. 3/2013 on Waste Treatment.
"Those who litter will be fined. An individual fine could be Rp500,000, while a company could be fined Rp50 million," Jokowi stated earlier.
The law will be strictly enforced starting in 2014, but the public will first be made aware of the enforcement plan.
"Littering triggers floods and we must clean it all up. On the other hand, we will also urge every inhabitant not to litter," Jokowi pointed out.
The head of Jakarta's Cleanliness Service, Unu Nurdin, said river patrols would begin next year to determine who is to be penalized for littering.
"The patrols will be manned by cleanliness services, city security guards and soldiers," Unu Nurdin noted.
Campaigns related to anti-littering will be carried out continuously because building public awareness takes time, he added.
"We will not impose the penalty immediately, but it will be done gradually. We will carry out a public awareness campaign so that people stop littering," he said.
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