Central govt urged to mediate in 'becak' case

JAKARTA (JP): The Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) has urged the central government to intervene in its escalating conflict with the city administration over the fate of the three-wheeled pedicabs locally known as becak.

UPC coordinator Wardah Hafidz met briefly with Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla at the latter's office here on Friday, demanding that he act as a mediator.

The dispute, which has already claimed casualties, has reached a deadlock, Wardah told reporters after the meeting.

"This issue concerns the people's welfare, job opportunities, and violence. The central government cannot turn a blind eye to it," she said.

She criticized President Megawati Soekarnoputri for her indifference to the conflict, saying that the urban poor helped pave the way for her ascent to the presidency last month.

"She can't remain silent on this matter. This is about the life of hundreds of thousands of poor Jakartans," Wardah said.

Wardah was accompanied by some 30 people, including becak drivers, vendors, scavengers and a number of other disadvantaged people.

The Jakarta administration last week declared war on becak after a civilian guard was mobbed to death by angry becak drivers, who were resisting a crackdown on the vehicles.

Becak were formally phased out from the streets of the capital in 1988. But they made a comeback 10 years later during the peak of the economic crisis in 1998 after Governor Sutiyoso relaxed the city regulation on pedicabs.

He reimposed the ban a day later but the becak problem has since haunted the administration and escalated with the violent death of the civilian guard last week.

Jusuf, who had earlier promised to hold a dialog with UPC representatives, cut short the meeting with Wardah to about five minutes saying that he had to travel to Bandung.

The meeting, however, was enough for Wardah to present a written statement on UPC's position on becak.

Jusuf's secretary Sutejo Yuwono said another meeting had been scheduled for Thursday.

In the statement, UPC asked Jusuf to order the Jakarta administration to stop the crackdown against becak.

The statement was endorsed by 36 NGOs and activists, including Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), Indonesian Women's Coalition, Jakarta Becak Union (Sebaja), and the Indonesian Women's Union.

Calling the crackdown on becak a criminal act against the people, the UPC said Sutiyoso should be tried and punished.

The funds used to finance the crackdown, which UPC estimated at Rp 102 billion (US$11.3 million), would have been better spent on finding ways to improve Jakarta's transportation system and assisting small businesses, it said.

Separately, Sutiyoso rejected any dialog with NGOs over the future of pedicabs in the city.

"If I should have a dialog with becak drivers, its okay. But not with any non-governmental organization," he said.

He said the dialog should not be about how the pedicabs could operate in the city, but about how to send home the drivers, who are mostly come from outside Jakarta, or to create new jobs for them.

An official from the city public order office, who asked not to be named, accused the NGOs, particularly the UPC, of taking advantage of poor people, especially pedicab drivers, to get foreign aid.

Meanwhile, the so-called Foundation for the Saving of Becak Drivers suggested that the drivers be sent to work in Malaysia.

The foundation said that Rp 3.5 billion would be needed to send 500 drivers. The budget would include Rp 30 million to hold press conferences.

The administration called it a good idea but rejected the proposal due to a lack of funds. (07/jun)