Who is not afraid of Jakarta?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At 470 years of age Jakarta is still a city of
\nopportunity for people who want to quit rural poverty, but it can
\nbe a horror city for others.<\/p>\n
Many villagers, who could hardly keep their noses above water
\nback home, have moved to Jakarta because they decided that the
\nbest place to make money was where the rich spend it.<\/p>\n
And many are quite successful at earning their daily bowl of
\nrice.<\/p>\n
The city of opportunity also offers criminals easy targets
\nhere. And this is the dark side of the capital city of 10 million
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Recently, 15 minutes before a Garuda plane landed at the
\nSoekarno-Hatta International Airport from North Sumatra, three of
\nits passengers were busy calming their fears about the rumors
\nthey had heard about poor public safety in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Before leaving Banda Aceh, some wise men had advised them to
\nbe careful during their first visit to Jakarta. \"From the
\nairport,\" a sage recommended, \"take a blue taxi, not a yellow
\none. Beware of unauthorized taxis because the drivers might be
\ncriminals preying on innocent new visitors. They will take you to
\na deserted area on the outskirts of town and rob and kill you
\nthere.\"<\/p>\n
As the three left the terminal, they were approached by one of
\nthe men they were most afraid of: An unauthorized taxi driver.<\/p>\n
They were really scared. Although they repeatedly rejected the
\ndriver's offer he kept harassing them. They suspected he was a
\nhead hunter in a primitive society.<\/p>\n
One of the three thought: \"Oh God, life has really ceased to
\nhave a meaning in Jakarta, and the disaster starts here.\"<\/p>\n
Their fright was later mixed with disappointment when they saw
\nno blue taxi waiting in the taxi line. Most of taxi's queuing for
\npassengers were yellow cabs. They had heard that yellow cab
\ndrivers liked to zig-zag carelessly through Jakarta's notoriously
\nsnarling traffic just like demons on wheels.<\/p>\n
In fact, their conclusion was not completely true because taxi
\nregulations at the airport have significantly improved. The
\nofficers in charge sometimes distribute questionnaires to
\npassengers for their comments on the service in an attempt to
\nfurther improve the system.<\/p>\n
And unauthorized taxis do not belong to criminals but to
\npeople who try to extort thousands of rupiah from ignorant
\npeople.<\/p>\n
At last the three took an airport bus to Blok M. While sailing
\nabove the beautiful overpass, another passenger told them that at
\nthe terminal they could take a taxi to their relative's house.<\/p>\n
When they saw a city bus for the first time they jokingly
\nwhispered to each that they would never live in Jakarta because
\nthey \"did not want to become monkeys.\" They were referring to the
\npeople hanging out the bus doors.<\/p>\n
A man sitting near them told them that \"as soon as you get
\ninto a city bus here you experience a process of dehumanization.\"<\/p>\n
The process, he said, had in fact nothing to with the many
\npick pockets inside. But once you are in, the driver will no
\nlonger regard you as a human being but merely as a body whose
\nvalue is only Rp 300, the fare you pay.<\/p>\n
\"That is why,\" he said, \"when the driver loses control of a
\nspeeding vehicle, the hell driver does not mind to careering into
\na river. The drivers have mustered the art of escaping unhurt
\nleaving the passengers buried in the water.\"
\nThe three were filled with trepidation.<\/p>\n
At Blok M terminal they took a taxi to their relative's house
\nin Blok A.<\/p>\n
But the driver, who apparently sensed his passengers' poor
\nknowledge of the city, manipulated the route and drove them
\naround for more than an hour to make more money.<\/p>\n
The three realized that the driver had taken advantage of them
\nwhen they told their relative about the experience.<\/p>\n
They were so disheartened by the humiliation that they
\ncanceled their plan to visit the famous Jakarta Fair and other
\nprograms. They took a bus home after three days.<\/p>\n
The men were apparently shocked by the set of alien values
\nthey encountered in Jakarta. Many people perhaps share their
\nopinion but can do nothing.<\/p>\n
Hearing the story, a police officer who lives a hundred
\nleagues from my house, said that Jakarta is like a besieged
\nfortress, those outside want to push their way in and those
\ninside want to get out. But many are condemned to stay in.<\/p>\n
The three men are lucky because they live far away from the
\npurgatory here.<\/p>\n
-- TIS<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/who-is-not-afraid-of-jakarta-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }