TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo stated that the development of public transportation in Jakarta is 30 years late. This has caused congestion across the capital because people prefer using their own vehicles to riding mass transport.

Even though the government has constructed new public transportation means for the past few years, Jokowi said the number is not enough.

“In Jakarta, [the development of public transport] is around 30 years late, although there is already MRT, it has only one line. There is also LRT, but it is not yet operated,” said the President in a statement, Wednesday, March 29.

As a result of the tardiness, Jokowi said heavy traffic jam occurs every day in Jakarta. However, he argued that the late in building public transportation not only happened in the capital but also in other big cities.

“Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Surabaya, Semarang, and Makassar roads are all congested because we are late in developing public transportation,” he remarked.

Makassar-Parepare Railway Inaugurated

Learning from the tardiness, Jokowi decided to construct Trans Sulawesi Railway. The project started in 2015. Today, he inaugurated the Makassar City-Parepare route connecting Maros-Barru in South Sulawesi. The train is chosen for its more affordable and efficient cost compared to other transportation means.

“Because if we don’t build public transportation, people will later use private cars and no one wants to use mass transportation,” Jokowi concluded.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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