Jokowi Says ERP Can Cover MRT Losses, DKI Provincial Government Admits It Can't Apply

Acting Governor of DKI Heru Budi together with the Head of DKI Dihub Syafrin Liputo and Forkopimda at DKI City Hall, Wednesday, August 23. (Diah A-VOI)

Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency (Dishub) Syafrin Liputo responded to President Joko Widodo's statement that the paid road system (ERP) could cover MRT's development and operational losses. The ERP system was planned when Jokowi served as Governor of DKI several years ago. However, ERP implementation always stagnates at the planning stage. Syafrin admitted that the implementation of paid roads is still hampered by regulations that have not yet been issued. Given, ERP has drawn a lot of resistance from the public. "Our ERP is still focused on regulations and yesterday the problem was regulation. Now it is encouraged is how we prepare regulations, of course with stakeholders," said Syafrin. Regarding ERP, Jokowi on Tuesday, October 24, told that the MRT development could only be carried out after a long plan, up to 26 years earlier. When he was still the Governor of DKI, the government was confused about finding a profit-loss formula from MRT operations because the costs needed were so large. "The calculation is always a loss. The conclusion of loss does not dare to continue. That is again the conclusion of loss," Jokowi said in an investment forum in Senayan. Until finally, Jokowi admitted that he found a way to cover MRT's development and operational losses through revenue from the paid road system or ERP. "Using the loss from which direction, from what budget, from what income, from what acceptance to look for. Finally, we found it closed from ERP, closed from electronic road pricing," said Jokowi.

In Jakarta, the ERP implementation regulations have actually been contained in the draft regional regulation draft (Raperda). The Provincial Government and the DKI DPRD have also conducted initial discussions regarding the contents in the draft, but the discussion of articles per article has not been carried out. However, this has drawn resistance from the public, especially ojol drivers who had held a demonstration at the DKI City Hall. They demanded that the DKI Provincial Government revoke the ERP Raperda. Until finally, the regional regulation that had been submitted to the DPRD was returned for revision and there has been no follow-up to date.