Kisah Haru Luar Negeri] Jakarta Bukan Lagi Neraka Macet

I, Liia How, an urban development consultant from Singapore, arrived in Jakarta in 2018 with a big surprise—the 30 km journey from the airport took 3 hours. It was there that I met Arman Nugroho, a motorcycle taxi driver who worked 15 hours a day but still struggled to support his family. "I'm tired of living on the streets," he said with tired eyes. I also met Sarah Wijaya, a talented young engineer graduated from Singapore and Tokyo, who had brought a design for an integrated smart city system for the Jakarta MRT. However, in a meeting room dominated by male bureaucrats, her idea was considered too idealistic. Even her design data, which had taken six months to complete, was deliberately deleted. But Sarah didn't give up—she rebuilt everything from scratch, better than before. When Peter Vanenberg, a veteran consultant from the Netherlands, came to Jakarta, he was dismissive. "In Amsterdam, this problem was solved 50 years ago," he said coldly. Meanwhile, Arman registered as a prospective MRT driver and trained diligently for months until he finally graduated with perfect marks. On March 24, 2019, the Jakarta MRT officially began operating. Arman guided the first train from Lebak Bulus to the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout — exactly 30 minutes, without delay. Passengers cheered. A grandmother cried. Peter paused, then whispered, "This is better than Amsterdam." The world was shocked. CNN, BBC, NHK, and even European media outlets were all over the news. Cities like Singapore, Tokyo, London, and Paris began learning from Jakarta. Sarah was appointed as an advisor to the UN. Arman became director of a driver training center. Even the King of the Netherlands came to Jakarta to learn about Indonesia's innovative spirit. Jakarta had proven itself — from a former colony to a world teacher.