'Don't leave city on festive holidays'

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso has encouraged Jakartans not to leave the city for their hometowns during the upcoming festive period unless willing "to pay a heavy price".

"I'm not only speaking about the cost of tickets.

People also have to risk their safety because there will only be a limited number of buses available, meaning that they will be dreadfully overcrowded," Sutiyoso said on Monday.

The governor was referring to the upcoming holidays of Christmas, New Year, Idul Fitri and the Chinese New Year, where thousands of people usually leave the city to spend the time with relatives around the country.

During Idul Fitri -- the Moslem festival to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan -- almost one-third of Jakarta's 10-million population usually leave the city.

This time, the governor said, Jakartans, particularly those who rely upon the bus services, should stay in the capital.

The number of buses available this year will be less than usual because many have been unable to operate due to the high cost of spare parts since the monetary crisis began.

"It will be very risky to travel long distances in overloaded buses," he warned.

Furthermore, he pointed out, the security forces will be unable to safeguard the seasonal exodus like in previous years.

"With the unstable situation in the city, both military and police personnel will need to be posted in hot spots around the city," the governor said.

"There will only be a limited number of security personnel assigned to watch over the crowds leaving the city."

Sutiyoso was unable to state exactly how many buses will be operating during the holidays and said that his office was still waiting for a report from the city chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners.

Early last month, Minister of Communications Giri Suseno Hadihardjono reportedly said that the number of operational city and intercity buses had fallen by about 40 percent since the monetary crisis began.

The number of operational city buses, he said, had dropped from 104,000 to 50,000, while intercity buses had fallen from 13,000 to 8,000. (ylt)