TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or popularly known as Ahok, has said he will prioritize four programs when installed as governor after Jakarta governor-cum-president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo resigns from the capital’s top post in August. “There are at least four programs, mainly infrastructure,” said Ahok on Thursday.
Ahok said the construction of flyovers for buses must be completed in three years to optimize the use of public transports in Jakarta. He added the planned six-lane city toll road will have special lanes for buses and the city administration would resume the construction of inspection roads for the capital’s rivers and railways to clear it of mushrooming slums. “We also have to build low-cost apartments.”
In the bureaucratic sector, Ahok plans to scrap the attendance system as the main reference to calculate civil servants’ allowance and replace it with points earned by civil servants as a reward for their achievement.
In education, Ahok seeks to alter the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP), which provides social aid for deprived students, to a full scholarship that can help them financially until they reach bachelor degrees. “The long-term effect is to face the demographic bonus in 2025,” he said.
In tourism, Ahok will create professional management system in potential tourism spots, such as Thousand Islands regency and the Old Town area. He said he would call on private companies to take part in the maintenance of both sites. “It will be great if Thousand Islands regency is preserved like Maldives,” he said.
LINDA HAIRANI