Strike against unauthorized fees cripples public transportation<\/p>\n
Andi Hajramurni, Makassar<\/p>\n
Public transportation was nearly brought to a standstill in
\nMakassar, South Sulawesi, on Tuesday as more than 1,000 drivers
\nwent on a strike in protest at widespread unauthorized fees.<\/p>\n
Thousands of commuters were stranded on streets across the
\ncity as a result of the strike, which started at around 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
The striking drivers refused to take passengers and some of
\nthem even went as far as forcibly dropping others on the streets
\nbefore they had reached their destination.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post observed that the protest affected routes
\nbetween Makassar and Maros regency, Daya and Makassar Mall,
\nSudiang and Makassar Mall, Bumi Tamalanrea Permai
\nand Makassar Mall, and Tamalanrea and Makassar Mall, where
\nhundreds of commuters lined up along roadsides.<\/p>\n
Many of the stranded passengers had to walk or use ojek
\n(motorcycle taxis) to reach their destinations.<\/p>\n
A number of public transportation vehicles that remained
\noperational were stopped by strikers who ordered them to drop
\npassengers on streets.<\/p>\n
Protest coordinator Zubair said the drivers staged the strike
\nto protest both legal and illegal fees imposed on them, apart
\nfrom regular fees paid to the land transportation vehicle
\norganization (Organda).<\/p>\n
"Every day we have to pay unauthorized fees that continually
\nincrease," he said.<\/p>\n
Zubair, who once registered himself as a candidate in a
\ngubernatorial election in South Sulawesi, said the fees charged
\nto local drivers ranged from Rp 500 to Rp 1,500 per route.<\/p>\n
"This has posed a burden on us because we also have to set
\naside money to cover the maintenance costs of our vehicles," he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
He said the burden would increase for those who rented
\nvehicles for public transport service.<\/p>\n
The Makassar communications office issued a circular last year
\nto ban all fees collected from local public transportation
\ndrivers, but the ruling was blatantly ignored.<\/p>\n
The strikers urged the provincial police to scrap the fees and
\ntake firm action against any of their personnel involved.<\/p>\n
They also slammed the Makassar administration for issuing
\nadditional public transportation permits for other vehicles in
\nthe city, which they said had reduced their income.<\/p>\n
They accused the local authorities of "selling" permits for
\ntheir own gain, without taking into account the fate of others.<\/p>\n
The city mayor should end the imposition of such fees and
\nrevoke a decision to create new routes in Makassar, they added.<\/p>\n
In their rally at Makassar legislative council, the protesters
\nsought the support of council members to help them achieve their
\ndemands.<\/p>",
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