Citra drivers want Organda dissolved

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)