Better transportation or avenues for graft?

Better transportation or avenues for graft?

When I heard in mid-June that construction had begun on the
Monorail, slated to take two and a half years until completion, I
was happy.

I imagined that my dream of quick, comfortable, regular and
inexpensive transportation would finally be a reality.

It would be of great help to me, a young journalist who moved
here from Bandung three years ago to find work, and now finds it
difficult to get from points A to B.

If I ride a motorcycle, for example, I must don my own set of
protective clothing -- goggles, mask, jacket and gloves -- that
would put a hazardous materials worker to shame.

Otherwise, I will get a nasty sunburn and annoying respiratory
problems.

If I choose to take a regular bus, I must fight with other
passengers to get on, for nobody knows when the next one will
come by. Once inside, I am taking a risky ride with reckless
drivers who do not seem to care much for life or limb.

Take a cab every day? Not likely, if I want to eat at the end
of the month.

I manage to survive by doing all three. Improved public
transportation would help me save money, and eventually buy the
car of my dreams.

I will be able to save money and perhaps be able to buy an
affordable car to make my movements in Jakarta more comfortable.

Of course, the Monorail construction project is making me
think twice if I need that car after all, with efficient
transportation seemingly on the horizon.

I think of Singapore with its Mass Rapid Transportation (MRT)
and Bangkok's Skytrain. They offer easy, comfortable rides,
certainly better than taxis, with their sometimes annoying
drivers who cannot speak English.

The Monorail may put a stop to Jakarta's current reputation as
a transportation black hole, with notorious traffic jams making
even short journeys a headache.

It should also do away with some of the air pollution if
people leave their cars at home.

We already have the TransJakarta Busway, serving Blok M-Kota,
and more routes are planned. I am a frequent user of the
relatively affordable, quick and air-conditioned buses, although
I sometimes feel guilty when I remember the Busway now takes two
lanes of traffic.

Yet I also have some nagging suspicions about all the
transportation changes, inevitable when so many projects in this
country are executed because of individual interests, not because
of the public good.

We all want better transportation, but if it is not part of an
integrated plan, then what's the point? Why have more Busway
routes, for instance, making life easier for some, while others
must suffer in worsening traffic jams?

There have already been rumors about the actual costs of the
buses for the Busway, and we inevitably wonder if the Monorail
construction project may end up lower than the projected US$630
million without anybody telling the public.

The Monorail is being built through private investment, but if
the spending fell below than the current plan, the public could
get lower ticket prices than the current estimated Rp 3,500-to Rp
7,500.

Of course, even if the administration promises that everything
is being done above board, being suspicious about any grand new
scheme is only to be expected when the state suffered losses of
Rp 22 trillion (US$2.4 billion) in the last two years due to
corruption.

Imagine, if those pilfered funds, instead of lining the
pockets of corrupt officials so their kids could buy new cars and
the latest cell phones, went instead to improving city
transportation. It could pay for four Monorail projects in four
major cities.

But that is not going to happen. Instead, we will have two
Monorails, more Busways in Jakarta and probably more avenues for
corruption.

So much for my wishful thinking; it's time for me to wake up
and smell the exhaust fumes.

-- Labirinimpian