By: Anisa Rahmawati *
One of the primadona in the implementation of Nawacita under President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) government is infrastructure development, one of which is the construction of an integrated highway (MRT) project. It is believed that the MRT will have a multiplier effect, namely in supporting community mobility and as a new economic driver.
If nothing goes wrong, the rail-based mass transportation mode from Lebak Bulus to the Indonesia Hotel Roundabout will be completed on schedule. PT MRT Director William Sabandar ensured that the MRT could be used by the public starting in March 2019 and is expected to be able to carry passengers of at least 65,000 people every day. This amount will increase gradually.
The construction of the MRT project is a new sheet of Jakarta civilization. It is no exaggeration if President Jokowi states that the presence of the MRT brings a new civilization. First, MRT is an entirely new mode of transportation in Jakarta and Indonesia. There is no comparison in Indonesian history.
Secondly, Jakarta is aligned with cities in developed countries that build and prioritize mass transportation modes. The face of Jakarta that is crowded, jammed, and left behind, has begun to build environmentally friendly transportation patterns. More and more people are transported by public transportation making the use of fuel oil saved. Air pollution and congestion on the highway is reduced. Not only the MRT, Jakarta also develops transit oriented development (TOD) where there are residential and business or shopping centers there.
Third, modern public transportation forces users to be more disciplined in terms of time and behavior in compliance with rules, such as cleanliness and security. Residents are also trained to share their feelings with fellow users, especially for disabled people, pregnant women, or the elderly.
Fourth, civilization is also shown by the function of the government which disciplines its citizens by first providing adequate transportation facilities. The campaign to switch from private vehicles to public transport has made sense for residents to obey because there is a safe, convenient and affordable tariff for public transportation. Uncivilized is if the government forces its citizens to leave private vehicles to switch to buses or dilapidated public transportation.
The construction of physical infrastructure for the government in the Jokowi era is at the same time a part of the cultural strategy in facing current and future challenges. Therefore, it is not surprising that the MRT will continue in the second phase and so on. At the end of 2019, the construction will be continued with the second phase connecting the Kampung Bandan HI Roundabout, as well as the construction of the east-west MRT corridor that connects Cikarang-Balaraja.
The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Financial Services Authority, Wimboh Santoso, stated that his agency would fully support this MRT project. This project will not be realized without the synergy of various stakeholders, including the central government, regional government, industrial sector and financial services. The existence of the MRT will encourage new economic centers along the trajectory.
The MRT is believed to change the pattern of transportation of Jakarta residents and reduce congestion. Because this mass transportation mode is safer, more comfortable and faster. The record that cannot be left behind related to the MRT is Jokowi’s role which succeeded in breaking the ice for more than 25 years, the MRT discourse came true. In 1986, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, who was the Head of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, had planned the MRT. In the era of DKI Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, who took office from 1997 to 2007, studies and research have been carried out as the basis for MRT development. But only in the era of Governor of Jokowi, the MRT began to be built. For this reason, the efforts of the Governor of DKI Jakarta, especially President Jokowi in building adequate infrastructure in the capital, should be given the highest appreciation. Now it is the duty of the community to maintain the facilities provided by the government.
- The author is a PTN student in Jakarta
