All cars must past new emission tests

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration is requiring that all vehicles in the city, including private cars, pass gas emission tests as part of vehicle registration requirements (STNK).

Many parties, however, doubt that the proposed enforcement will eventuate for a number of reasons, including the lack of resolve of law enforcers, the lack of awareness of the public, a lack of readiness on the part of the city administration and the current socio-political situation.

Head of the city environmental control agency, Kosasih Wirahadikusumah, said on Monday that the enforcement of gubernatorial decree number 1041/2000 on vehicle emissions would begin in August.

He said that car owners should get a document from certified auto repair shops that stated that they met required gas emission levels.

"Documents issued by the repair shops explaining that vehicles have passed gas emission checks would be required for the cars' owners for extending their registrations," said Kosasih at a seminar on curbing vehicle emissions.

He said the regulation was now in forced for public transport and business vehicles in the capital, but it was not having any effect because of rampant collusion between vehicle owners and officials authorized to check gas emissions.

If the city administration policy could be implemented, it would be a follow-up to last July's free-lead policy for all fuel pumps in the capital.

A city environmental control agency study in 2001 showed that 77.6 percent of public transportation emitted unsafe levels of gas.

The study also showed that transportation contributed to 65 percent of the air pollution in the capital. Of that, private cars accounted for 55 percent of the pollution, motorcycles 26 percent, and public transport 19 percent.

Although Kosasih said he was optimistic that the enforcement of vehicle emission checks would take place successfully, many parties expressed doubt.

Chairperson of the Indonesian Consumer Institute Foundation (YLKI), Indah Sukmaningsih, questioned the readiness of the city administration to implement the regulations, saying that emission checks for public transport and business vehicles had failed to control their gas emission levels.

"The plan to enforce emission checks is good news, but it needs good preparation. If not it will become a new arena for corruption and collusion by the authorities and vehicle owners," Indah said at the seminar.

Indah said that before the city administration enforce the decree all parties should be informed of the program or it would receive strong opposition.

She said that at least five things should be considered by the authorities before the policy was implemented. They comprised technical feasibility aspects, economic considerations, the political climate, administrative matters and social acceptability.

Sharing Indah's opinion, automotive observer Helmy Sungkar predicted that the enforcement of the gas emission checks in August would receive strong opposition due to the lack of an education campaign by the authorities.

He called on the city administration to delay the enforcement of the policy until all people concerned were informed of it.

"If the policy is implemented in August, I am afraid that the effort to clean up Jakarta's air will fail due to opposition from the public," Helmy told The Jakarta Post.