'Criminals end up living in luxurious cells'

The dumping of smuggled sugar in the sea has elicited various reactions from the public. The government has declared that the sugar will be dumped and not auctioned in the hope that such drastic action will curb the smuggling that has hurt the country's sugarcane farmers and the sugar industry. The Jakarta Post talked to few residents about the issue.

Fikri Ribowo, 42, is a taxi driver. He lives with his family in the Duren Tiga area of South Jakarta:

It is a terrible waste to dump such massive amounts of sugar. I cannot understand why the government cannot find a less insensitive way of curbing the influx of smuggled goods into the country, not just sugar.

What this country need is strict law enforcement. I never believe it when officials say they cannot identify the culprits as smuggling is a big crime that is only capable of being committed by those with big bucks who are backed by the officials themselves.

We have witnessed how arrogant the law enforcers are against students and petty criminals. But what do they do against big- time criminals, such as the corrupt officials and unscrupulous businesspeople? Even if these criminals are put to jail, they end up living in luxury, VIP cells.

Sanderson Svendpri, 30, is a freelance producer. He lives with his pregnant wife in Rawamangun, East Jakarta:

There is the issue about why the sugar was able to be smuggled. But the fact is, it has arrived here. Why don't we just use it? Many people need it.

It might decrease the price of sugar on the market. Imported sugar is always cheaper than local sugar, and this shows that there is something wrong with the system.

Although I don't have much proof about this, I think local sugar is more expensive because there are lots of extra fees to be paid. Smuggled sugar is cheaper, maybe, because it goes through fewer hands than the legal sugar.

--The Jakarta Post