29-8-2023 (JAKARTA) Students in parts of the Indonesian capital will be conducting their schooling from home, and a significant number of civil servants will also work remotely for a few days as Jakarta hosts the 43rd Asean Summit and related summits from September 2 to 7.
To facilitate the smooth movement of Asean leaders and delegates, general traffic on several roads near the Jakarta Convention Centre, the summit venue, will be diverted or blocked. In light of this, Jakarta’s acting governor Heru Budi Hartono announced last Wednesday that over 700 schools in South and Central Jakarta will implement distance learning from September 4 to 7. The measure aims to alleviate traffic congestion during the summit.
Furthermore, for the duration of the summit, 75 percent of the city’s civil servants will be required to work from home. This decision follows the implementation of a policy earlier in August, whereby half of Jakarta’s civil servants already work remotely, in an effort to combat the city’s worsening pollution. Exceptions will be made for civil servants working in vital public services, including hospitals.
Acting Governor Heru Budi has urged the private sector to emulate the government’s work-from-home policy wherever feasible. Representatives from Indonesia’s Presidential Secretariat have engaged in discussions with various business associations in recent weeks to encourage their participation.
Jakarta has been actively preparing for the summit, with banners displayed on billboards, roadsides, and public transport nodes throughout the city. A prominent structure bearing the words “Asean Indonesia 2023” has been erected at the Selamat Datang (Welcome) monument in the city center. The illuminated words are visible at night from nearby malls, hotels, and office buildings.
According to Setya Utama, Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat, all logistical arrangements and decorations will be completed by September 3 in readiness for the summit. In addition to the meetings at the convention center, a gala dinner for Asean leaders is planned at the Gelora Bung Karno City Forest, an urban green space situated near the city center. Meetings are also expected to take place at The St Regis Jakarta hotel and the Asean Secretariat office.
The Ministry of Transportation has made necessary arrangements at two of Jakarta’s airports, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, to ensure the smooth arrival of state guests and maintain traffic flow.
As the 43rd Asean Summit, this event will be the second high-level meeting hosted by Indonesia in its capacity as the Asean chair in 2023. Asean leaders will review progress within the group and discuss strategies to further enhance collaboration in digital and green economies among member states. They will also engage with counterparts from partner countries, including the United States, China, Japan, India, and South Korea.
