Arrogance and irresponsibility

On the evening of Oct. 23, a silver and white Mitsubishi Galant backed up and smashed the left front light on my car. The driver pulled over to see if his car was OK. Although he saw the shattered pieces of the broken light from my car, he drove away. My driver stopped him. The driver of the other car argued that it was not his mistake, but my driver's.

I did not want the two to continue arguing while we blocked traffic. I got out to see the owner of the other car and asked if I could get his name card so that we could settle the dispute by phone. He, a Korean businessman, refused to give me his card.

"It is not my responsibility. It is my driver's responsibility. Besides, it is your fault. You should be at least three meters behind my car," he said arrogantly.

I was dumbfounded. He was lucky he was dealing with me. Had he been in another situation, God knows what could have been the result of this show of arrogance and irresponsibility. Nowadays, when people feel their rights have been violated, they can go too far.

If you find yourself behind this car, make sure you are at least three meters behind it. The driver is incompetent. The owner is irresponsible.

Well, I can swallow my pride and pay for the broken light. I am only appealing to all ambassadors in Indonesia to advise their citizens to behave more responsibly. Especially on the road.

BONDAN WINARNO

South Jakarta