A lesson learned?

A lesson learned?

To judge by the countless tales of distress that have been circulating in Jakarta these past few days, the transportation system that was to serve those traveling home to celebrate Idul Fitri with friends and family in the provinces is just not up to the job. And considering the growing tide of Idul Fitri travelers in this country, next year seems to promise no better.

Never before has Indonesia seen such gigantic crowds trapped in jams. About 400 travelers were reported to have fainted after being forced to walk 13 kilometers along the road between Cilegon and Merak, in the northwestern tip of Java, because traffic had ground to a complete halt. At Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta people had to wait in line a whole night or longer to get tickets. And once they got the tickets, some of them could not even use them, blocked as they were by the mass of people trying to force their way onto the trains.

A crowd of tens of thousands of prospective travelers clogged up bus stations, unable to get a bus because vehicles trying to come into Jakarta were blocked by a 50-kilometer traffic snarl along the northern coastal route linking the capital with cities in Central and East Java.

The situation would look even grimmer if other tales of confusion were added to the list -- such as the long waits people had to endure at stations in provincial towns for transportation to smaller towns and villages. One woman was reported to have given birth at a bus station. In another incident, a man collapsed and died. And many inter-city bus conductors exploited the general disorder by slapping a 100 percent surcharge on passengers. This was done after the buses passed the city boundaries so as to evade sanctions.

The Armed Forces sent ships and trucks to help shift travelers from Merak to Sumatra across the Sunda Strait, but they could not do much. About 60,000 people were still stranded on Feb. 29, one day before Idul Fitri. And on that very date at bus stations in Jakarta many more people were reported to still be waiting for transportation.

This chaotic situation was made worse by the tremendous number of private cars which joined the holiday exodus. And the drivers' lack of discipline and confusion at being ordered to take detours over unfamiliar roads compounded the madness.

The biggest factor contributing to the confusion, however, was of course the sheer number of travelers this year, which exceeded all expectations. The authorities who had declared that everything would be fine long before Idul Fitri seem to have been taken by surprise by the frenzy.

It is important to realize that the tremendous improvement of Indonesia's road infrastructure and the rising standard of living have combined to boost the mobility of the populace. At the same time the population of Jakarta, always the main departure point for Idul Fitri travelers, is growing because more people are flocking to the city and its surrounding areas, where industrial activity is pulsing along at a rapid rate. People come to Jakarta because for many Jakarta is still the city of opportunity. And those who "swim upriver" to their hometowns and villages during Idul Fitri seem to illustrate to those left behind the truth of that notion. This, in turn, exerts a powerful pull on rural people to follow their friends and relatives to the big city.

People can be expected to continue to flock to Jakarta as long as industrial growth remains out of balance and centered in large urban areas. And this flow will surely exacerbate the widening social gap.

On one side of the gap rural people are forced to leave the provinces to escape dire conditions, while the nouveaux riches of urban settlements enjoy the many luxuries and privileges which present-day Indonesia has to offer.

Clearly it is time we paid more attention to the needs of the average Indonesian citizen. Before the Idul Fitri holidays next year the authorities would do well to anticipate all eventualities and see to the needs of travelers. Better preparation seems to be in order and the possibility of another sudden increase in the number of those who want to celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns must be anticipated. The transportation system must be better managed.

There are many facets to this Idul Fitri transportation business. It would be wise, and certainly more helpful for travelers, if the authorities in charge were to admit to any possible limitations the system might have, rather than simply saying that everything has been arranged.