1. Taxi -- 6 col, 1 line 1 x 36
1. Taxi -- 6 col, 1 line 1 x 36 City contradicts itself on taxi licenses
Contradicting public statements that the city administration has temporarily shut the door to any requests for new taxi permits, Governor Sutiyoso quietly issued a decree that allows new taxi companies to enter the overcrowded market.
City Land Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendy Sidabutar said on Monday that Sutiyoso issued a decree in 2002 allowing new taxi operators to open shop.
"Gubernatorial Decree No. 214/2002 stipulates that we can allow operation permits for at least 2,384 taxis to be issued," Rustam announced at City Hall on Monday.
Rustam's announcement suggested that the presence of PT Primer Metro Transindo was necessary to meet the demand for taxis in the capital.
PT Primer came under the spotlight after Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo claimed his signature had been forged on a 2003 letter approving the issuance of the company's license to operate 300 taxis in the capital. The revelation, however, suggested that any investigation would focus on forgery.
A senior official close to the case, who asked for anonymity, said the City Audit Agency suspected that three city officials were involved in the forgery case.
The three, identified only as NA, BG and RS, are all still active civil servants. They currently head different divisions with the City Land Transportation Agency, City Economy Development Bureau and City Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Bureau.
"The City Audit Agency will also recommend to Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso that they be dismissed owing to their serious wrongdoings," he said.
Sutiyoso was not available for comment on Monday as he was abroad.
Rustam said based on the decree, his agency along with the City Economy Development Bureau decided to process a proposal from PT Primer in 2003.
Rustam's statement concerning the gubernatorial decree is in stark contrast to an official statement that the administration had temporarily stopped issuing permits for new taxis in the city owing to the overcrowded market.
According to data from the City Land Transportation Agency, at least 30 taxi operators are licensed to operate 23,000 taxis, but only 21,200 taxis are operating.
Fauzi said earlier that the city administration had received complaints from Jakarta taxi operators that many taxi fleets with licenses to operate on the outskirts of Jakarta, namely in Depok, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, were operating in the capital.
"We have temporarily stopped the issuance of new permits for taxis to maintain the business at a healthy level," Fauzi said when announcing the alleged forgery of his signature to issue a business license for taxi company PT Primer.
According to councillor Muhayar Rustamudin of Commission D for transportation and development affairs, the city administration stopped issuing new taxi permits in 2001.
Meanwhile, councillor Sayogo Hendrosoebroto, who chairs Commission D, lamented the case and blamed the administration's failure to publicly announce any new policies.
"The administration has long run a closed management, making any information it provides so expensive. It needs to be more transparent by publicly announcing every policy it makes. Otherwise, it will lose all credibility when unscrupulous people take advantage of such a situation, like in the case of PT Primer," Sayogo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle faction told The Jakarta Post.
Commenting on the case, Muhayar said that the administration should annul PT Primer's operation permit because it was defective.
The media became aware of the case only when Jakarta Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo claimed early this month that his signature had been forged.
Fauzi emphasized that the document was fake. However, the paperwork has been processed by relevant agencies in the administration and PT Primer has been issued a permit for 50 cabs.
Jakarta Police said their investigation into the case might reveal that city officials were involved in the offense.
2. Nurlaila -- 2 col, 3 lines 3 x 16 Former students lend support to fired teacher About 50 former students of SMPN 56 junior high school demonstrated on Monday at the State Administrative Court in East Jakarta in support of teacher Nurlaila, who is suing Governor Sutiyoso over her dismissal.
"We have come to support our beloved teacher. She does not deserve to be treated like this. We want to pressure the judges to side with the people, not the state officials," said Aditia, a former student of SMPN 56, which was located in Melawai, South Jakarta, before being closed down by the administration last year.
"Nurlaila is a living example of the saying 'heroes without medals'. Instead of being punished, she should be honored. This proves that there is no appreciation for teachers here," he said.
Aditia is one of hundreds of SMPN 56 students who were transferred to different schools in South Jakarta after their school was closed.
SMPN 56 shut down after being involved in a land swap deal between the Ministry of National Education and PT Tata Disantara, a company owned by former manpower minister Abdul Latief.
Nurlaila, who taught civics, is the only SMPN 56 teacher who refused to accept a transfer to the school's new location in Jeruk Purut, South Jakarta.
She was fired last December by gubernatorial decree, though her dismissal was made retroactive to February 2004. According to the decree, by refusing a transfer she had abandoned her duties.
The court was scheduled on Monday to hear arguments from lawyers representing Sutiyoso. However, the lawyers from the Jakarta Administration Legal Office requested an additional week to finish their arguments.
Presiding judge Kadar Slamet then offered Nurlaila's lawyers the opportunity to read out their client's demands.
"Considering that this case has attracted the attention of the media and the public, I decided to give the plaintiff's lawyers a chance to read out their demands, to help the public understand the case," Kadar said.
Of the 20 lawyers representing Nurlaila, four took turns reading out an 11-page document that included the demand that the governor annul Nurlaila's dismissal and reinstate her full rights as a civil servant, including the payment of her salary and benefits dating back to 2003.
Endang Sumardi, the lone defense lawyer who attended the session, said Governor Sutiyoso would not annul Nurlaila's dismissal, which he called appropriate for the situation.
"A civil servant should be willing to do his or her job wherever he or she is instructed to do so," Endang said.(006)
3. Waste -- 4 col, 1 line 1 x 36 Waste to be sent back to the Netherlands The government will soon return 20 containers of hazardous waste to the Netherlands that are now in storage in the international container terminal at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta.
State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said on Monday that the Netherlands government had expressed its readiness to take back the hazardous waste, which had been sent from Amsterdam last month.
"In principle, the Netherlands is ready to accept the waste. We are now preparing a technical mechanism on how to return the waste there," Witoelar told the press conference.
At least 20 containers of hazardous domestic waste have been stored in the Tanjung Priok container terminal since late last month as no one had claimed them.
Hermin Rosita, an assistant to the State Minister for the Environment, said that the importer of the waste had used a false address in Jakarta.
"When we checked the address of the importer in Kemang, South Jakarta, it turned out to be a cafe," said Hermin.
She could not say when the waste would be sent back to the Netherlands, but said that her office would coordinate with other agencies -- the port management, customs office, and water police.
According to Witoelar, the government would continue to pay serious attention to waste trafficking, which he said involved international crime syndicates in the same was as people and drug trafficking did.
"We will not tolerate hazardous waste being sent here from foreign countries," he said, adding that his office had managed to persuade Singapore to accept 60 bags of hazardous waste sent to Galang island, Riau province, last year.
He said that Singapore agreed to accept the waste during talks between Singapore and Indonesia in the secretariat of the Basel Convention on May 10 and May 11
Both Indonesia and Singapore are signatories to the Basel Convention, which is intended to resolve disputes on waste shipments.
In the joint press statement issued after the negotiation, Singapore did not recognize that the material on Galang island as hazardous waste, but said that it was ready to accept it.
According to Hermin, the waste would be sent to Singapore on Wednesday.
4. Roobing -- 4 col, 1 line 1 x 36 Robbers break into Bukit Sentul house Four robbers armed with sharp weapons broke into a house in the Bogor's Bukit Sentul housing complex, tied up the house's owners and got away with several sets of jewelry and Rp 10 million in cash early on Monday.
The thieves broke into the house through the guest room window at about 3:00 a.m. when the house's owner, Hartoyo, 45, his family members and a maid were asleep.
"Without any difficulty, the robbers tied up all the family members. They then forced them to hand over all their precious belongings," said Effendi, a witness and a relative of Hartoyo.
Effendi said he believed the robbers had entered the complex through the back because none of the security guards had seen them.
"They must have entered the housing complex through a back way, which hasn't been fenced. The guards also don't monitor out there," he said.
Riris, the neighborhood chief, said robberies had been frequent at the complex because of the incomplete security.
Police said they were investigating the case and attempting to track down the robbers.
Babakan sub-precinct detectives chief Second Insp. Boing Subandriyo said police had questioned several witnesses along with the victims.
"We have checked the crime scene and ... I have ordered my officers to look for people as described by the witnesses," he said.