Governor declares war against 'becak'

Governor declares war against 'becak'

JAKARTA (JP): City Governor Sutiyoso, backed by the city
police, declared war against becak (pedicab) drivers following
Tuesday's riot which killed one civilian guard and injured two
others.

"The administration will not step down from driving becak from
the city as we are determined to rid the capital of them," the
governor said on Wednesday.

He pledged that the authorities would continue with their
crackdowns on pedicabs until they were out of the capital.

Tuesday's crackdown by city public order officials turned
violent in the areas of Roxy and nearby Grogol as hundreds of
becak drivers resisted the raid. Not only did they attack the
officers, but they also vandalized eight cars, mostly belonging
to the city administration, and a motorcycle.

The Roxy Mas International Trade Center immediately halted all
activities for the day.

Abdul Kahfi, the deputy governor for administrative affairs,
said the administration would arm its officers with tear gas
instead of sticks in following crackdowns.

The tear gas is needed to protect them from becak drivers, who
are likely to use weapons during the raid, Kahfi said.

"We will continue with crackdowns even if they become too
risky," he said.

He said that the police had promised to back them.

"They will use rubber bullets, and even live bullets if
necessary," he said.

Sources at the city administration said there were about 8,000
becak operating in the capital.

Meanwhile, City Council aired their support for the
administration's determination in cracking down on becak in
accordance with City Bylaw No. 11/1988, which bans them from
operating in the capital.

However, the deputy chairman of the City Council, Djafar
Badjeber, blamed Sutiyoso for the drivers' continued presence in
the city.

In 1998, Sutiyoso had announced that becak were allowed to
operate again in the capital, but he revoked his statement the
next day.

Tension between the administration and the becak drivers, who
later gained the support of the Urban Poor Consortium, has grown
since then.

Both the city administration and the police have said the
consortium was behind Tuesday's violence.

Separately, Wardah Hafidz, the coordinator of the consortium,
admitted their involvement in Tuesday's protest of the crackdown
by the becak drivers.

"I wasn't there but my colleagues were," she said, adding that
instead of provoking the drivers, the consortium had tried to
calm them.

She told The Jakarta Post by phone that if the consortium had
not been involved, the violence might have been on a greater
scale with the mob possibly attacking not only officials'
vehicles, but also those of civilians.

Wardah noted that the administration had upset pedicab drivers
by involving police officers armed with tear gas and weapons.

Meanwhile, city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam
said the consortium was among several non-governmental
organizations that were suspected to be behind the drivers'
attack of city public order officers.

On Wednesday, hundreds of becak drivers conducted a rally
outside the North Jakarta Mayoralty building, damaging a car
which belongs to the local community health center.

Mayor Soebagyo HS said two becak drivers were arrested but
were released several hours later. (jun/04)