Sandiaga Uno, businessman, running mate of gubernatorial runoff election winner Anies Baswedan and Jakarta’s new vice-governor-elect, has plenty of bright ideas for his new administration (almost all of which involve him saying OK-OCE, a lot). One of the most discussed (and by discussed, we mean ridiculed) plans is his idea for a Kartu Jomblo Jakarta (Jakarta Singles Card) intended to help singles living in Jakarta find spouses.
As described by the prominent businessman turned politician, the card would be valid for six months and would aim to help single Jakartans find their partners by giving them access to mass ta’aruf (an Islamic process for couples getting to know each other – distinct from dating) events. He suggested such events take place at the capital’s various child-friendly integrated public space (RPTRA), many of which were built under current Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s administration (or, as some have described it, he wants to use playgrounds as pick-up places for singles).
Some have criticized the KJJ program for being an intrusion of the government into its citizens’ private lives, while others have argued that it’s a solution to a problem that should be waaaaay down on the list of priorities for the new administration to handle, if at all.
But Sandiaga defended his KJJ program over the weekend, saying that it was needed to tackle a real problem: declining population.
“One of the concerns in big cities, not only in Asia but also around the world, is that of declining population because people are too busy. This can be seen in Singapore,” Sandiaga explained yesterday in Kebayoran Baru as quoted by Detik.
The vice governor-elect also responded to the argument that the KJJ program was an unnecessary government intrusion into citizens’ private lives.
“Indeed there is also a claim that this is within the domain of privacy, so we will discuss that but also keep moving forward, because we do not want to be like Japan or Singapore where the population is declining steadily because singles enjoy being single,” said Sandiaga (heaven forbid, single people enjoying being single!).
Sandiaga is correct that Japan and Singapore are both experiencing declining birth rates that could potentially have a negative effect on their economies.
But it is not a problem that Jakarta, nor Indonesia, needs to worry about. Like, whatsoever.
In fact, many demographers believe Indonesia will have to contend with a serious overpopulation problem in the future. During Suharto’s New Order, the government invested serious resources into family planning programs to keep birth rates in check through distribution of birth control, but such programs are long gone and the birth rate is on the rise. Currently, Indonesia has a population of about 250 million people, but some have predicted that by 2050, Indonesia will overtake the United States to become the 3rd most populous country in the world with a population of around 400 million people.
Such a population size could seriously strain the central government’s ability to provide adequate food, shelter, education and employment for all those people (something it is obviously struggling to do with the current population as well).
Jakarta itself is certainly not immune to the problems of overpopulation. With about 30 million people living in the Greater Jakarta area, the capital’s infrastructure, especially its roads and transportation systems, are already well beyond capacity. There are also simply not enough work and homes for all of the people who already live here, let alone the the steady stream of people from across Indonesia who come to the capital looking for a better life (every year after Idul Fitri, the government has to turn back back those attempting to relocate to the capital who have not yet secured employment and housing).
If Sandiaga really thinks Jakarta has a shrinking population problem, then he must not have be familiar with the government’s own statistics. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the number living within Jakarta was 8 million in 2000, and that number rose to more than 10 million by 2015. If rates stay consistent, that number will rise to 16 million by 2020, a doubling of the capital’s population in just 20 years. Does anybody think Jakarta has the infrastructure to handle that kind of growth, let alone even increased growth?
More than likely, Sandiaga was simply grasping for a more reasonable justification for his program than its intended purpose – appealing to the same religious conservatives who helped him and Anies win the election last month. Although he mentioned that the KJJ program might include discounts for events such as group movie screenings, he has emphasized the ta’aruf aspect of the program, which would seem to exclude singles from the capital’s religious minority groups from participating (especially since we know how the government frowns on interfaith marriages).
It is also in line with Sandiaga’s promises of more “sharia-based” nightlife in the capital, such as cultural events and religious studies.
What do you think about the Kartu Jomblo Jakarta program? Let us know in the comments!
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