TEMPO.CO, Jakarta- President Jokowi on Monday, July 13, 2015, held a closed meeting to discuss the establishment of a transport authority. "The organization is necessary, so decision making can be done independently, and not through a closed meeting," he said when opening the meeting.
Present in the meeting was the Minister of Transport Ignatius Jonan, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Sofyan Djalil and Minister of National Development Planning Andrinof Chaniago.
Jokowi said such organizations exist in a number of countries, such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore, organized under the Singaporean Ministry of Transport. Its function is to manage the entire transportation model in Singapore. "Such a model can be created, particularly in Greater Jakarta," he said.
According to Jokowi, the plan to build the Mass Rapid Transport and the High Speed Train should be done immediately. The longer it is delayed, he said, the higher the cost would be.
He cited the construction of MRT in Jakarta that was planed since 26 years ago. However, he said, the late decision caused the construction to be difficult and expensive because the price of land acquisition.
"I think the city administration strongly felt the expensive land price,” he said. According to Jokowi, with organizations such as the LTA, the construction will not be abandoned.
On September 2, 2010, then Vice President Boediono chaired a meeting to discuss mass transportation and congestion in Jakarta which brought losses of up to Rp 12.8 trillion.
A joint meeting of the central government, West Java and Banten agreed on 17 breakthrough points. In step 11, the government will establish the Jabodetabek Transportation Authority (OTJ). Jakarta Governor has taken the initiative to accept the initial responsibility as coordinator.
Step 12 is in addition to the establishment of Jabodetabek transportation authority, there will be a revision of the master plan for an Greater Jakarta integrated transport.
On November 2013, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo asked the central government to immediately establish OTJ. "We want it to be quickly established,” Jokowi told reporters at the time.
But both measures were not realized until the government of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono ended in October 2014.
Jokowi now has the power to establish the authority. There should be no major obstacle to make it happen.
TIKA PRIMANDARI
