Citra drivers want Organda dissolved
JAKARTA (JP): Some 1,000 taxi drivers staged a protest against the Jakarta office of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) in Mayestik, South Jakarta, and later gathered at the compound of the legislators' building in Central Jakarta.
The protesters of the Citra taxi company urged the organization to clarify its statement about the firm, and apologize.
"Organda must withdraw the statement, it's an insult," drivers yelled. The gathering of taxis led to a traffic jam in the area.
A staff member of Organda had earlier said Citra's management should not use the system in which drivers can purchase their vehicles through four years of installments.
Priyatmedi said the system violated rules because this system is only applicable in a cooperative.
He was responding to Citra's refusal to hike its flagfall in line with Organda's ruling, which has been delayed.
He had also mentioned that Citra obtained its Malaysian-made Proton Saga vehicles through "corruption, collusion and nepotism" and virtually without investment.
Organda has been the target of criticism since it announced the increase of the flagfall from Rp 2,000 Rp 3,000, and the meter charge from Rp 900 per kilometer to Rp 1,300 per kilometer, without the approval of the City Council and the administration.
A Citra driver, M. Sapon, said the company system had proved to benefit both drivers and the company.
Sapon and nine other drivers had met with the chairman of Organda's taxi section in Jakarta, Izak A. Rumaedi, since Priyatmedi was not available.
Izak said he personally agreed with the operational system in Citra's management, and he apologized for the earlier statement.
Drivers then drove to the House of Representatives and demanded that Organda be dissolved, saying it had never benefited drivers.
The House members promised to help meet the drivers' complaint.
Separately, Jakarta councillors supported the idea to disperse Organda as the organization had failed to represent its members and only fought for certain land transportation companies, namely the Blue Bird company, since many of Organda's top executives were from the firm.
"Organda should be dispersed because it only issues regulations that benefit some on the executive board of Organda, who we all know are related to one company," a councillor from Commission D on development affairs, Maringan Pangaribuan said.
Maringan pointed out several of Organda's executives as examples, such as head of the organization's taxi unit, Izak A. Rumaedi, who's also director of Morante Taxi from the Blue Bird group, and Organda's chairman Aip Sjarifuddin, who's also closely related to Blue Bird.
"It is obvious that the organization does not understand the problem of all of their members but only considers the Blue Bird group's problems," he added.
As usual, none of the Blue Bird executives could be reached for comment.
Deputy Chief of Commission D, Saud Rahman, urged Organda members to disperse the organization and, if possible, form another one that would be more representative.
"There are no rules that prevent the establishment of organizations but if Organda's members are being neglected by the executive board, they should disperse Organda and form a new organization," Saud said. (07/dja)