Plis Deh Jakarta!

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo has thumbed his nose at a Supreme Court ruling and said the city will forge ahead with a major sea reclamation project. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Bang Foke is pushing ahead with the sea reclamation project in North Jakarta, despite environmental experts saying that it will be disastrous, and even despite blocks from the State Ministry of the Environment and the Supreme Court.

Experts say, Jakarta’s public transport system needs an overhaul.

…there would be no ease-up in the daily traffic jams experienced by residents in the capital unless major changes were made to the public transportation system.

Who says Indonesia doesn’t have any smart people?

So the statue above is apparently so offensive or something that it has to go, well at least according to FPI, and despite the protests from the artist, I Nyoman Nuarta. The Bekasi mayor has bowed down to pressure and ordered the destruction of the statue within 21 days, citing that it has no permit, among other reasons.

So I suppose we should tear down the Kereta Kencana statue and any other I Nyoman Nuarta work of art (as he always takes inspiration from living things), just because FPI says so.

And this from the group which tried to disband a transsexual rights forum, thinking it was a drag queen show. Bravo! At this rate, they’ll be running the city any time soon.

So, Jl. Pangeran Antasari, one of the busiest roads in South Jakarta, is going to be made a one-way street. Problem is, the Jakarta city administration hasn’t figured out which way.

Really increases my level of confidence in their planning capabilities…

The city administration is currently pushing their green building agenda into schools, which from the article, a green building is seemingly defined:

• less use of wood to decrease the need of chopping down forersts
• use of solar panels for power (the article says the use of ‘panel tata surya’; I assume that’s a mistype)
• better ventilation as to decrease the need for air conditioning
• more efficient use of water and electricty
• independent waste management, whatever that means
• and more use of wood in building construction (yes, the article contradicts itself)

They say it is part of an effort to educate children on the need of eco-friendly buildings, with the bill going up to a total of Rp 16 billion for two school locations.

In the meantime, many schools, even in Jakarta, are in no condition to be used as a place to learn. The schools might become, um, a bit nicer, but what’s to say about the general living conditions of the surrounding neighborhood?

Seen on a Gramedia bookshelf – a Quran-reciting VCD sitting quietly next to the “Hantu Jamu Gendong” VCD.

The local MUI of Banten has recently declared haram the proposed statue of Sultan Banten Maulana Hasanudin, which in a cooperation between the South Tangerang City Administration and some private partners, would have been erected in one of the busiest roundabouts in the Pamulang area.

I haven’t the slightest idea on why this Sultan is so important as to erect a statue of him, but the MUI is apparently concerned that it will become a place of idol-worship towards the Sultan’s statue, which is blasphemy. Rightly so they say that the money can be better spent elsewhere.

So any comments on the other statue already standing (and protested) in the Menteng area, MUI?

Reader comments on an article reporting on the new rules and fines being imposed to motorcycle riders cover a range of reactions; from the usual:

- it’s about time there was a crackdown on the reckless motorcycle riders

to the somewhat illogical:

- if this goes on, sooner or later they’ll be fining pedestrians

to the conspiracy theorists:

- this rule does not side with the ‘little people’. It is a conspiracy between the city administration and the producers of motorcycle headlights to increase sales.

So I wonder how people would react to the rule where drivers are not allowed to make calls while driving? Maybe they’ll say it’s a conspiracy between the city administration and producers of cellphone handsfree kits.

That said, I am not aware if this HP handsfree rule applies to motorcyclists, which we still often see making calls while riding their motorcycles.

Submitted by nefretiriii.

… even if the helmet is on backwards and not properly tied to the head.

A family of four on a motorcycle whizzing through the streets of Jakarta on Thursday. (Photo: Afriadi Hikmal, JG)

There is a new rule which bans people from riding motorcycles with more than one passenger. The rule also applies for carrying oversize luggage on a motorcycle. But apparently, the rule will only apply for people going home in the Lebaran season.

So, safety first only applies in the holidays?

This is smart! Rather than hounding motorcyclists at every corner, the police simply distributed free helmets. Well, it sort of feels like handing our condoms without sex education, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Then again, you never know if the free helmets aren’t left at home or sold.

In a somewhat signature act of far-flung vision with terrible planning, the outgoing governor, Sutiyoso, launched the city water taxis in June 2007, spending Rp 200 billion on the facilities with a pilot project serving a 1.7 km route with two 28-person boats. So where is it now?

The first few trips failed when, among others, garbage got stuck in the boat’s rotors. This, and not to mention that apparently not all of Ciliwung River can be dredged to serve such a water transport service.

So Rp 200 billion and ambition = nothing happening.

I was always under the impression that the city’s traffic lights, however chaotic, had some sort of outdated underlying system coordinating everything. WRONG. It’s all just random – no wonder we need police officers maintaining the busy intersections at rush hour, or else it would be even worse.

Enter the research arm from UI, assisted by the University of Nagoya, who are trying to figure out on how to synchronize all the traffic lights in Jakarta, in a 4-year project that has started since 2008. They are saying, “synchronized traffic lights could be the answer”. Strangely, the head of the Traffic Management Centre did not know this project was going on.

Well, as long as everybody obeys the traffic lights, we could have a winner here. And that’s even assuming the traffic lights will be on.