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