The Transition Team of the Elected Governor and Deputy Governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung and Rano Karno, has been discussing the possibility of making Blok M area in South Jakarta the capital of ASEAN and imposing a policy of 4-day working in a week in the metropolitan city.
The team was established to assist the Jakarta administration in managing the city when the Pramono-Rano pair is officially inaugurated.
The idea to make Blok M area the capital of ASEAN was initiated because the ASEAN Secretariat is located in the Blok M surrounding. It is planned that the naming of Blok M as the capital of ASEAN will take place next August.
“One of the things that has been discussed in the transition team is making Blok M the capital of ASEAN,” Nirwono Yoga, a member of the Pramono-Rano Transition Team and an Urban Planning Expert, said on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
“August is ASEAN’s birthday when Blok M area is expected to become the capital of ASEAN,” he added.
This plan was initiated in line with the ecosystem development in Blok M area, such as the arrangement of public spaces, as well as the target of increasing tourism potential there.
“For example, the easiest program is organizing a culinary festival of ASEAN countries. There are many potential participating countries − Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, besides Indonesia,” he said.
Four working days a week
Ima Mahdiah, Chair of the Pramono-Anung Transition Team, said the discussion on implementing a 4-day working week was still limited to the proposal from Nirwono Yoga.
“I see this proposal as interesting to be discussed further by all stakeholders, but of course it requires a comprehensive study and a look at the context of Jakarta,” Ima said a statement on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
She cited that the four-day working system is only applied during the peak of the rainy season or the peak of the dry season. Given that, during the rainy season, Jakarta is often hit by floods its traffic is heavily congested.
Meanwhile, during the dry season, the level of air pollution in Jakarta is often quite high. In fact, Jakarta is among the most polluted big cities in the world.
Ima said further that the transition team is focusing on a more specific task, which is to ensure smooth transition of leadership and prepare priority programs that will be executed immediately after the Pramono-Anung pair is inaugurated.
“Our priority programs cover pressing issues such as flood management, public transportation, and improving the quality of public services,” she said.
