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Isn’t life amazing! Not two weeks ago we were moaning about how not one iota of work seemed to have gone into alleviating the traffic woes of Jakarta, even though it was already January 2012, and one meeting later we are walking around with a smile the size of a Cheshire cat (a la the one in “Alice in Wonderland”).

A well-timed moan in a public place can do wonders to shake the powers that be into letting out a few of their secrets, because folks, the “mission to alleviate chronic transportation problems within Greater Jakarta and its surroundings” is further along than you think.

Two weeks ago, we pleaded with the authorities to “start already.” We are here to let you know they have. In the developer’s own words “the developer will build a world-class Mass Rapid Transit system in Jakarta to integrate with other transport networks, which will increase the quality of life for everyone.”

Is it any wonder we have a smile from ear to ear? This must be music to all your ears. This new system will “serve an area encompassed within the Jabodetabek area.” (For those of you new to Indonesian acronyms, that means Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi). Put another way, a system built for commuters who travel daily in and out of these satellite areas to the Jakarta city center. Put yet another way, you!

And do you know how many people ply these corridors daily? According to a very comprehensive feasibility study, currently 22 million people travel between these towns and districts or up and down these corridors between the towns, their districts and Jakarta, between them making more than 40 million separate trips. This is set to rise to 24 million people taking 45 million trips per day.

What is more (it only gets better), and we quote again, “under the developer’s master plan the MRT proposal is to be completed and operational within a three-year period starting in March 2012 and commencing operation by March 2015.” March 2012? That’s next month, guys! That means a very acceptable three years’ time before we get to ride on a “world-class” train system around our beloved capital.

What lessons can we learn from the events of the last two weeks? Two weeks ago we suggested joining us in making a bit of noise about the state of our pessimism in relation to Jakarta’s traffic woes. While our op-ed piece was not very noisy, antsy surely, but with no real noise involved, it has certainly galvanized someone into response; a response that shows nothing if not the power of the media to get to the heart of an issue and bring it into the public domain.

The last two weeks have shown also that there are other like-minded people like yourselves who wish to see Jakarta an even nicer place than it already is to live, and that some of them can do something about it. The developers said they were “fully coordinating with the government on the master plan … and also where the busway extension program is concerned.”

They also said “the project is an integrated and comprehensive one … and will be complemented by existing ground transport systems, such as the TransJakarta express system, bus services and taxi services.” In other words there is the required amount of cooperation and coordination going on. This is manna from heaven for project managers like ourselves.

Furthermore, the openness over the last two weeks in letting the public know what is about to grace us (not to forget that new infrastructure is likely to cause its own disruption to existing infrastructure systems) sets the stage for silent but constructive monitoring of the developers’ promises to undertake what they say they will do. In other words this is good governance at work. Is our enthusiasm misplaced?

As project and program managers, as investors and as concerned citizens, we cannot overstate the case. It has been mentioned before but is worth repeating that the production of a fully functioning MRT is not just about effortlessly moving masses of people around a large area. Such a massive piece of infrastructure development carries both short- and long-term economic and social benefits.

Efficient infrastructure development raises a city’s overall productivity — in part by cutting down the hours wasted in traffic — and contributes significantly to national GDP levels.

Increases in foreign investment in the infrastructure projects themselves, plus the spin-off businesses associated with their development, also add to overall economic development. The developer estimates that during construction there will be “85,000 jobs resulting in 35,000 permanent jobs.”

Not only will those coming into the city benefit from these rapid connections, but those who have businesses in Jakarta’s satellite cities and districts covered by this new MRT will benefit from potentially large numbers of city dwellers coming to them.

Using the developers’ own words, the MRT will “assist the districts and cities in the development of business and industry, training of the skilled workforce and promote community projects in and around the system.”

On the social side, if travel time to Tangerang, Bekasi or Bogor is much reduced, and there is a sale on in the malls there, a day visit for some retail therapy could be much more easily undertaken. Social visits to friends in the farthest reaches of Greater Jakarta would be feasible during the week as well as the quieter weekend.

But haven’t we heard all of this before? Our diatribe of two weeks ago urged everyone to forget those blueprints, those plans on paper, those future tenses, and suggested counting the number of holes being dug, the train stations appearing in front of us. We called for action, not promises.

March 2012 is just around the corner and we, as concerned citizens, cannot wait for the next steps in the development of the MRT to be taken. No doubt some concerned groups, such as the environmental lobbyists, the state finance watchdogs, democracy wallahs and the average citizen wanting to go to work in a comfortable environment, are already watching closely how this thing plays out.

The developers insist the MRT planning process included “identifying the most effective and cost-efficient rail system in terms of design and constructability.” They also said the process included “identifying the most suitable and workable rail equipment,” which utilizes “an environmentally friendly design.” They also believe the “frontal approach strategy” will allow for “all routes to be started at the same time.” They plan to meet their “planned 36 months delivery time.”

Will they do it? We are sure that there will be many people and institutions ready to criticize them if they do not. This criticism is part of the democratic process. We, as stakeholders, will also take part in this process of monitoring this critical development. Want to know more? Watch this space.
 
Keith Hargreaves and Daim Syukriyah are concerned citizens of Jakarta and staff members at Strategic Asia, a Jakarta-based consultancy. They can be contacted at keith.hargreaves@strategic-asia.com and daim.syukriah@strategic-asia.com.