To advance Jakarta's status as an economic and business center, the local authority must be conferred with the authority for infrastructure development, Mayor Dhany Sukma said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.
At present, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing is the authority responsible for flood control and handling in Jakarta instead of the provincial government by virtue of Jakarta's current status as the national capital, he pointed out.
"The flood issue (that will remain after the capital relocation) will affect Jakarta's performance as the economic and business center. Hence, the central government must confer more authority to the Jakarta government, for instance, for handling major rivers in the province," Sukma said.
To date, major infrastructure in Jakarta remains under the jurisdiction of the central government, and the regional authority cannot make its own policies due to a conflict of authority with the central government, he added.
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Besides conferring more authority, an increased special autonomy fund must be awarded as the transfer of authority to Jakarta must be balanced with its financial necessities, the Mayor said.
"We need to harmonize the division of authority between the central and regional authorities by expanding the proportion (for the local authority). If the central government does not confer the authority then Jakarta will struggle to reform itself as a global metropolis," Sukma added.
After the national capital relocation to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, Jakarta will remain a megapolitan city, and its development will be further integrated with its periphery within the Greater Jakarta area -- Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, he said.
"The city development in the future will be extensive, and expansion of public services would not be only at the local level, but also at the regional level," he added.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi G, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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