Mayor Bima Arya Suggests Minister Jokowi To The Bogor Palace With KRL In Today's Memory, November 23, 2017

President Joko Widodo and Mrs. Iriana received a state visit by Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Queen Masako at the Bogor Palace on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA Memories of today, 23 years ago, November 23, 2017, the Mayor of Bogor, Bima Arya Sugiarto suggested the ministers of the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) Working Cabinet to take the KRL when they went to the Bogor Palace. Bima Arya revealed this suggestion because of the limited availability of parking areas and causing traffic jams.

Previously, Jokowi's decision to make the Bogor Palace a residence led to new problems. Various presidential agendas from meetings or receiving invited guests for the Bogor road are jammed. Parking cannot accommodate all those who come.

Each Indonesian leader has his favorite residence when he takes office. President Soeharto prefers to live in his own residence on Jalan Cendana. Things are different from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) who prefers to live in the State Palace.

The option makes the most sense because if you go back and forth to Cikeas the travel time will take quite a long time. The government will not be effective. In the era of President Jokowi, it was different. Jokowi prefers to be at the Bogor Palace.

He considers the Bogor Palace the most comfortable to have an office. The decision in fact raises new problems. State agendas have appeared many at the Bogor Palace. This condition causes traffic jams everywhere.

Not to mention parking matters that make you dizzy. The travel time is delayed from usual. The problem arose because each minister and his staff came to the Bogor Palace with an official car and its crew.

However, that does not mean that all national figures only rely on official vehicles to Bogor. Some of them seem wise by taking advantage of KRL access.

Buya Syafi Maarif, for example. The Muhammadiyah figure attended an event at the Bogor Palace because he was part of the Steering Team for the Presidential Working Unit for the Development of the Pancasila Ideology. This simplicity amazed many parties. Another problem, he did not congeste on the streets. Jakarta-Bogor only takes one hour.

"This morning after this morning, parents who were 82 years old and two months old rushed to leave their inns in the Kuningan area, South Jakarta to the Tebet KRL station. With the aim of going to Bogor, he intends to attend the launch of the Pancasila Education Strengthening Program initiated by the new institution of the Pancasila Ideology Development President's Working Unit," wrote Maarif Institute Director Muhammad Abdullah Darraz on his Facebook account on August 12, 2017, quoted on the detik.com page.

Problems arise. Not many people with awareness choose to go to Bogor with public transportation from KRL. The ministers stick with their style of using an official car complete with a matwal.

Recently, the Mayor of Bogor, Bima Arya, responded on November 23, 2017. He advised the ministers of the work cabinet to use the KRL only when doing activities in Bogor. The option was given because the experience that had been in Bogor had become jammed and President Jokowi's guests were confused about parking matters.

"But this is it, parking will not accommodate all of them at any time. The most important thing is to organize public transportation, both for citizens and for officials. If state officials want to take the train, it's very good.

"Imagine how many ministers there are in the cabinet, for example there are 3 cars in one series. Imagine how many hundreds of cars enter Bogor if they want a meeting. But if they use special carriages, for example they are dropped in Gambir (Stasiun), continue to take the train, so far we have prepared shelters. Practically, right," said Bima Arya at Bogor City Hall, quoted on the detik.com page, November 23, 2017.