Anies Baswedan and Private Funds for Jakarta's Modern Footbridges

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced that the revitalization of the city’s three footbridges (JPO) in Sudirman is basically continuing what he inherited from the previous administration.

According to Anies, he utilized the remaining financial backing still left in the city’s building floor coefficient (KLB) compensation funds that were paid off by private enterprises.

“There was still a large sum from the previous KLB. What to do with it, well we utilized it,” said Anies Baswedan in East Jakarta on Thursday, February 28.

According to the governor, almost every footbridge revitalization funds in Jakarta are sourced from the KLB compensation funds. He also announced future plans for two more footbridges located in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, and Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

Read: Anies Baswedan Inaugurates Renewed Pedestrian Bridges in Sudirman

The KLB compensation funds are sourced from PT Permadani Khatulistiwa Nusantara. The private run company spent almost Rp53 billion that was allocated for a number of footbridge revitalization.

This comes as a surprise for the fact that Anies Baswedan initially intended to fund the city’s priority programs exclusively from Jakarta’s allocated regional budget (APBD) and not from private sources such as CSRs or KLBs.

He voiced this multiple times in the past since he wants to avoid Jakarta’s strategic construction programs inheriting conflict of interests from private enterprises.

Anies’ stance was seen as a stark contrast to former Jakarta Governor Basuki “BTP” Tjahaja Purnama’s strategy upon utilizing funds from CSRs and KLBs, which ultimately funded the construction of numerous public infrastructures such as the Simpang Susun Semanggi, Muara Angke Floating Resto, numerous pedestrian sidewalks, and a number of integrated child-friendly public space (RPTRA).

LANI DIANA WIJAYA