All cars must past new emission tests

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.