Govt plans campaign to make people queue<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): One of the targets of the government's national
\ndiscipline campaign this year will be to teach Indonesians a
\ndiscipline which they notoriously lack -- queuing.<\/p>\n
\"It may sound simple, but it has to be simple and all
\nencompassing,\" Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
\nSecurity Soesilo Soedarman told reporters yesterday, after
\nmeeting with Vice President Try Sutrisno at the Merdeka Selatan
\npalace.<\/p>\n
Soesilo expressed particular contempt at the absence of
\nqueuing among Indonesians, as apparent at railway and bus
\nstations during the recent exodus from big cities to villages for
\nthe Idul Fitri celebrations.<\/p>\n
He recalled that there were kicking and shoving among the
\ntravelers as they tried to board their trains or buses.<\/p>\n
\"My God, we've had 50 years of independence,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soesilo blamed the lack of queuing among Indonesians on the
\nfact that Indonesia was ruled by the Netherlands rather than
\nBritain.<\/p>\n
\"Look at Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. People queue there
\nbecause they were colonized by British gentlemen. In contrast, we
\nwere colonized by a bunch of traders,\" said the retired Army
\ngeneral who took part in the independence struggle against the
\nDutch in the mid-1940s.<\/p>\n
\"You've got to queue when obtaining your drivers' license, at
\nCity Council, or when boarding a bus. You shouldn't push your way
\nthrough.\"<\/p>\n
He said he has proposed a number of concrete programs to
\nPresident Soeharto for the launching of the National Discipline
\nMovement scheduled for May 20, the day Indonesia marks National
\nAwakening Day.<\/p>\n
Besides queuing, two other items to be incorporated in the
\ncampaign are discipline of cleanliness and discipline at work.<\/p>\n
The minister said the streets of Jakarta are still badly
\nlittered. The campaign proposes that every office building and
\ngovernment office look after the cleanliness of their own
\nenvironment, by conducting regular inspections.<\/p>\n
He noted that the Armed Forces Headquarters in Cilangkap, East
\nJakarta, is spotless because a corporal has been assigned
\nspecifically to look after the cleanliness of the area.<\/p>\n
Discipline at work means turning up on time, stopping work at
\nthe scheduled time and working according to a prepared program,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
For the national discipline project, Soesilo said he plans to
\nsummon 15 cabinet ministers to his office to discuss the plan.
\n(emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-plans-campaign-to-make-people-queue-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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