'Becak' perplexes Cirebon administration

'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.