Without the rest, Jakarta is nothing but an empty shell
As I am preparing for another trip around the country, the same question got me thinking again...
If I were to live and work in another city, outside Jakarta, where can I be?
For now, specifically in my current stage of career and life, nowhere. Note please, this is SPECIFIC for my case. Why? That'll be another blogpost
Now I have never been to the US (and do not really intend to in the near future), but you can sorta get the sense that wealth and economic growth is spread (quite) evenly there. My friends that live and work in the US, Indonesian or otherwise, are spread throughout the country.
Got a cousin working in DC. Another cousin in NY. A friend in Detroit. Another friend in Dallas. Yet another friend in Chicago. Another in Boston.
Note these are people working, not studying there.
So how could big businesses spring up everywhere over there?
Even for something like the financial sector -where there is no real commodity exchange happening- they have so many financial hubs?
Sure NY's Wall Street rules the rest of the country, but AFAIK there are other stock exchanges in Chicago and Miami. Washington, DC is naturally where the World Bank and IMF is headquartered. I know a friend who used to work at an investment management company based in San Fransisco. In fact investment managers are virtually everywhere, based on so many cities.
Now going back to Indonesia, how many big businesses -national or international coverage- you know are headquartered outside Jakarta? I can only think of a few.
Banking and financial sectors are 99.999% Jakarta-based.
Consumer goods? Most large companies HQ are in Jakarta
Oil and gas and mining? While 100% sites are outside Jakarta, most HQ are here
Property? Jakarta
Advertising? Definitely Jakarta
Still don't get the idea? Out of the Top 1000 companies in the country, I guess >99% of the CEOs are based in Jakarta.
The actual businesses may be all over the country, but Jakarta has the control, so to speak.
I've visited places where they are so rich, and there are so many rich people around, it's a normal thing to see Hummers running around.
The past few years, coal and palm oil are in high demand and produced so many local OKBs. And some people prospered because of it.
But still, despite all that, Jakarta is still the center of our economy's universe.
I find it scary. How can this city hold more growth while already bursting in the seams?
A reader of a national newspaper suggested to separate the government center or move the capital completely. Have a city like Canberra or Washington, DC. Maybe that helps, although they sound so damn boring. I can't imagine a city in Indonesia full of politicians and government officials only. And of course the journalists that come along. Eeuuww.. :-)
I really hope someday, maybe when my kids enter working age, Surabaya, Medan, Balikpapan, Makassar, Palembang and many other cities become at least half as big as Jakarta. Economically and population-wise.
Because as my twitter friend @pratama said, "Without the rest of Indonesia, Jakarta is really nothing but an empty shell.."
