'Bajaj' drivers, owners oppose 'kancil'
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta
More than 3,000 bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) drivers and owners rallied on Wednesday in front of City Hall to protest the Jakarta administration's plan to introduce four-wheeled vehicles known as kancil (literally deer mouse) to the city beginning next month.
Police were forced to shut down Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan for two hours because the protesters blocked off the street from in front of the Vice President's Palace to City Hall with their bajaj.
The drivers and owners oppose the introduction of the kancil, which they say will cut into their business because passengers will prefer the cleaner and quieter kancil to the bajaj.
"I have seen the kancil but I have yet to try one. However, I think the bajaj is more powerful and tougher than the fiber- bodied kancil," said Imam, who operates his bajaj in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.
The three-wheeled vehicles not only serve as taxis for ferrying passengers, with fares determined through bargaining, but can also transport goods.
Another driver, Danawihardja, who works in East Jakarta, worried the kancil would take away passengers and cut into his daily earnings.
He said he normally made about Rp 70,000 (US$7.50) for a half- day's work. He pays a rental fee of Rp 47,000 to the owner of the bajaj and takes home the rest.
Damhuri, who owns 25 bajaj operating in West Jakarta, is concerned that if he were to switch to kancil his maintenance costs would rise significantly.
"We can use spare parts from Vespa scooter engines, which are easy to find and cheap. I don't know how much money I would have to spend for the kancil," he said.
The kancil are being assembled locally by PT Kurnia Abadi Niaga Citra Indah Lestari.
It was first proposed in 1999 to phase out bajaj and replace them with kancil, but the administration repeatedly rejected the proposal because there was no city bylaw covering this new means of transportation.
However, in a letter dated May 24 and signed by Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo, the administration approved the initial introduction of 250 kancil citywide beginning in July. The introduction of the 250 kancil will be accompanied by the removal of 250 bajaj.
Governor Sutiyoso insisted his administration would not be persuaded to abandon its plan gradually to replace all 14,612 bajaj in the city with the cleaner kancil.
"Our main concern in replacing the bajaj, which are more than 30 years old, is that they are a source of noise and air pollution and are not roadworthy compared to the new kancil," he said.
Sutiyoso said the process of replacing the bajaj with kancil would be voluntary on the part of bajaj owners.
The three-wheeled vehicles have been plying the city's streets and roads since the 1970s and the administration of governor Ali Sadikin.