'Becak' perplexes Cirebon administration

Nana Rukmana The Jakarta Post Cirebon

The number of becak drivers operating in the West Java coastal town of Cirebon has increased drastically over the last three years, a researcher has revealed.

"The influx of becak drivers from Jakarta has contributed to the situation," Abdullah Ali of the State-run Islamic Studies Institute (STAIN) in Cirebon said.

"The latest data shows that Cirebon, which measures 36 square kilometers, has only 2,400 becak whereas 8,000 becak drivers have been in the city during the last three years," he said.

He said one becak was operated by three or four people. "This indicates that job opportunities are very low," he said at a Dialog Forum on Cirebon Development here on Friday.

The imbalance between the number of becak and drivers reflected a very serious problem in society. "The Cirebon administration seems to be overwhelmed in dealing with it."

"The limited job opportunities will be like a time bomb unless we all manage to overcome them soon," he added.

Meanwhile, Eri Sudewa, a city planner of the Cirebon Institute of Technology (STT), said at the forum that the becak drivers had been blamed for traffic problems.

"Cirebon is in fact too small for that many becak drivers," he said.

Records indicate that Cirebon, some 240 kilometers east of Jakarta, is home to 1.5 million people by day and 1 million at night.

"As the town is too small for that number of becak, there are many spots where they concentrate every day. This really disrupts the traffic. We are afraid that in the long run becak-related problems will cause crime," said Eri.

A similar story was also heard in Indramayu, another coastal town just 40 kilometers west of Cirebon, where becak have become the main topic of discussion among local legislators.

"We have too many becak drivers," speaker of Indramayu legislative council Iwan Hendrawan said. "It's not easy to provide employment for that many people."

Indramayu now has at least 1,000 becak, with three times as many drivers.

Most of the becak drivers are also "escapees" from Jakarta who gave up their jobs following continual raids by the authorities.