The Eternal Challenge of the Candidate for Duke of Surabaya

Poverty, flooding and public transportation are three strategic issues and eternal challenges for potential leaders in Surabaya.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Jacky and Kiking are sewing pieces of cloth during a sewing training session in the Kalijudan Social Housing (Liponsos) in Surabaya, East Java on Thursday (9/2/2023). Various trainings are provided to the residents as preparation for their return to the community.

The election for mayor of Surabaya, East Java, will take place on November 27 2024 or the remaining 204 days from Tuesday (5/7/2024 ). A number of candidates emerged, including Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi and Deputy Mayor of Surabaya Armuji.

However, classic problems hindering progress and progress in this metropolitan area with a population of 3.089 million people are waiting. The cancers of life in the capital of East Java are mainly poverty, floods, and public transportation.

Eri-Armuji took office on February 26, 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. They were the winners of the contest on December 9, 2020. This bureaucrat-politician pair from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) continued the regime of Tri Rismaharini-Whisnu Sakti Buana. Risma, since December 23, 2020, has been serving as the Minister of Social Affairs in President Joko Widodo's government.

Also read: Surabaya Continues to Struggle for Independence from Poverty

During the transition of leadership from Risma to Eri, Surabaya is still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, there were still 145,670 impoverished individuals or 5.02 percent of the population. This number increased compared to the previous year's 130,550 individuals or 4.51 percent.

Concluding the government's term throughout 2021, with regards to poverty, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Surabaya recorded that at the end of the year, there were 152,490 impoverished citizens. Poverty became a stumbling block in the first year of the Eri-Armuji administration. However, with various labor-intensive programs, the number of impoverished residents was able to decrease to 138,210 people in 2022. Furthermore, it dropped even further to 136,370 people in 2023.

From that data, up until now, the situation shows that the number of poor people is still higher than in 2019, prior to the pandemic. On the other hand, the Eri-Armuji administration's term should end on February 26, 2026.

However, the 27 November 2024 election may result in Eri-Armuji's power not lasting for five years. The Constitutional Court has decided that regional heads (governors, regents, mayors) who won in the 2020 election will hold office until the inauguration of new regional heads who won in the 2024 election. Assuming the inauguration of the new mayor will take place on 26 February 2025, then Eri-Armuji's term of office will only be for four years.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

In the Sewing Incubation Program, a participant inspects the fabric that will be made into a shirt at Petra Christian University, Surabaya, on Monday (3/7/2023). This collaborative program between the Surabaya City Government and Petra Christian University is an effort to lift residents out of poverty.

In a recent meeting at the Surabaya City Hall, according to Eri, the Chairman of the Association of All Indonesian City Governments (Apeksi), the possibility of not serving a full five-year term exists, although it may not necessarily be realized. "If our term is shortened, it's okay, but we will still receive our salary and benefits for the remaining period of our term," he said.

So, the problem is, if he doesn't complete his five-year term of office, it's hard to be sure that Eri-Armuji will be able to lift people out of poverty at least like the conditions in 2019. That doesn't include other classic problems, namely flood management and improving public transport services.

Also read: Surabaya Needs a New Approach to Handling Floods

Starting this year, there is a program to address 245 flood-prone locations in Surabaya. The number of flood locations is still far higher than the number of neighborhoods (154), let alone districts (31). In one neighborhood, there are two to three flood-prone locations. Eri claims that floods today are different from those in the past since 1980. Floods will recede in one to two hours, unlike before the third millennium or in 2000 which could last for days.

Since the 2005 administration of Bambang Dwi Hartono, flood management has become one of the government's main programs. This program has continued during the eras of Risma and Eri until now. Flood management is carried out through the construction of drainage systems, dredging, and the procurement of pump houses and pump machines. For this year, the budget for flood management is IDR 776 billion. This amount is higher than the previous year's IDR 704 billion. At the beginning of Eri's administration, IDR 660 billion was allocated to handle floods.

Although a significant amount of funds has been invested, the issue of flooding is not eradicated from the City of Heroes. This means that the future mayor, whether it be Eri or a new figure, will still face the same classic problem.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Residents queued up to receive Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) for cooking oil during the flood disaster in the yard of the Koramil 0830/01 Krembangan Headquarters, Surabaya City, East Java, on Thursday (19/5/2022).

However, according to Amien Widodo, a senior researcher at the disaster management Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), the flood management program through the development of drainage networks in Surabaya has not been designed to address rainfall for the next century. Flood management has become an eternal program from one mayor to another.

"On the other hand, Surabaya also faces the threat of land subsidence and the potential for earthquakes as it is crossed by two active faults," said Amien. With its location on the edge of the Madura Strait and experiencing land subsidence, future floods are not only related to rainfall, but also to sea inundation as experienced by Semarang, the capital of Central Java."

Also read: Adu Sakti Builds Transportation in Surabaya

In public transportation services, Surabaya can be said to have not progressed or even regressed. According to data from the Surabaya City Transportation Agency, there used to be 58 lyn routes with a capacity of 4,600 public passenger cars. However, the lyn, also known as bemo, lost the competition because they were not renovated, making it no longer attractive to passengers. Residents switched to other modes of transportation, especially motorcycles and private cars, leaving only 10 lyn routes served by around 100 MPU.

The government is undertaking a revitalization of the lyn network with Wirawiri Suroboyo. The target is to have 174 MPU serving 23 routes by the end of this year. Compare this to the past when there were 58 lyn routes with a fleet of 4,600 MPUs, a far from balanced fleet even though Wirawiri is claimed to be more comfortable due to the air conditioning and non-cash payment facilities.

"I think the logic of the service is upside down. The service should be provided as much as possible so that the community, including us workers, are willing to use public transportation as before," said Chairperson of the Surabaya Labor Solidarity Institute (ISBS) Maria Domin Dhamayanti.

KOMPAS/AMBROSIUS HARTO MANUMOYOSO

Suroboyo Bus passes through Darmo Main Road in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday (1/3/2023). The largest metropolis after Jakarta, which is also the capital of East Java, requires more public transportation services, such as Suroboyo Bus and Trans Semanggi Suroboyo (Teman Bus) as well as commuter trains.

The fate of city buses and minibuses is equivalent. The number has drastically decreased from 1,000 units that used to be roaming around in terminals within the Surabaya area until 2011, down to only 100 buses and minibuses. For bus transportation, there is already a Suroboyo Bus and Trans-Semanggi Suroboyo network which, until now, only serves 10 corridors with less than 50 units. The government plans to develop 9 Suroboyo Bus corridors and 6 Trans-Semanggi Suroboyo corridors with a total of 200 buses by 2026. However, this is still far from the conditions in 2011.

As many services as possible should be provided so that people, including us workers, want to use public transportation like before.

Gigih Prihantono, a development economics lecturer at Airlangga University, said that tackling poverty, floods, and providing public transportation can become attractive issues in the contest. The provision of public transportation can be correlated with poverty by reducing people's expenses on transportation sector.

"At present, the expenses of residents for transportation are still high, above 10 percent even 20 percent," said Gigih. The high expenses are mainly due to residents burdened with vehicle installments, especially motorcycles, in addition to routine spending on fuel that can exceed Rp 1 million per month. This figure is above the 2023 poverty line of Rp 718,370.

Also read: Surabaya City Government Officials Asked to Maximize Public Transport

If integrated public transportation tariffs are affordable, for example, IDR 5,000 per person per day, transportation expenses would only be IDR 150,000 per month. This figure is only 20% of the poverty line, let alone 3% compared to the minimum wage of IDR 4,725,000.

In developed countries such as Europe, particularly Germany and France, citizens' spending on public transportation is limited to a maximum of 5 percent of their income. This allows citizens to allocate more income towards improving their quality of life and happiness, such as food, clothing, education, health, and recreation.

AMBROSIUS HARTO MANUMOYOSO

The atmosphere during the presentation of the Political Survey and Public Aspiration Network in Surabaya by the WE Institute in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday (5/6/2024). From the survey, several prominent names emerged to compete in the 2024 Surabaya Regional Election, particularly incumbent duo Eri Cahyadi and Armuji.

WE Institute Director Sugeng Siswanto, in presenting the Survey on Politics and Aspirations of the Surabaya Community, on Monday (6/5/2024), identified several main issues that are of public concern towards the candidate for mayor, namely the eradication of poverty and the provision of food and basic needs for residents (38%), job availability (17.5%), and the provision of excellent healthcare and education services (13%).

A survey of 1,000 respondents from 100 neighborhoods in 31 districts was conducted from April 17-27, 2024. The survey results show that Eri and Armuji are still popular among 16 names mentioned by respondents to run in the Surabaya election. Other names include musician and politician Ahmad Dhani from Gerindra, Fuad Bernadi from PDIP, Lucy Kurniasari from Demokrat, former East Java Police Chief Machfud Arifin, Azrul Ananda CEO of PT DBL Indonesia and President of Persebaya Surabaya, Tom Liwafa from PAN, lawyer M Sholeh from Nasdem, Reni Astuti from PKS, Musyafak Rouf from PKB, Adi Sutarwiyono and Dyah Katerina from PDI-P, Cahyo Harjo Prakoso and Bambang Haryo Soekartono's father from Gerindra.

Furthermore, there are many other names being mentioned. However, whoever will compete and become the winner will face classic challenges, namely poverty, floods, and transportation. Like Bonek (bondo nekat), supporters of Persebaya, who are known for their motto of "Salam Satu Nyali! Wani!", Surabaya's potential leaders indeed need not only financial capital but also courage, bravery, and if necessary, recklessness.