After publicly scolded, Fauzi sets new deadline for city projects
The Jakarta Post. Jakarta - 25/02/2011
Just days after being publicly criticized by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the slow progress of infrastructure projects in Jakarta, Governor Fauzi Bowo gave city agencies a two-month deadline to report on their progress.
Fauzi said he needed to set a new deadline because city officials needed to work faster as the five-year development plan would expire in 2012, when Fauzi leaves office.
“In two months I expect all working units in the city government to have submitted reports on the progress of their programs,” he told the head of all city agencies Thursday.
Fauzi also called on city officials to take bold decisions in speeding up projects in the capital.
In October last year, Fauzi publicly expressed his disappointment with the sluggish pace of city programs, saying it held back the progress of the city. Earlier this week, Fauzi was among governors criticized by Yudhoyono for failing to make good on campaign promises.
Yudhoyono said he was fed up with unkept promises by government leaders and called on the officials to devise more attainable plans.
Responding to Yudhoyono’s criticism, Fauzi claimed he had done so many issues to solve, including traffic congestion, floods, waste management and clean water supply.
The governor said in a speech Thursday that his administration had implemented good governance, improved public services and responded better to the needs of the public.
Fauzi also claimed to have improved the city’s bookkeeping practices. Critics were quick to dismiss Fauzi’s claims of success.
Trisakti University urban planning expert Yayat Supriatna said Fauzi should be more careful before making claims of success.
“He has no clear indicators. He may feel that he has been a successful governor, but the public may judge him very differently,” Yayat told The Jakarta Post.