'If it's about clean air, what about factories?'

'If it's about clean air, what about factories?'

The City Council has dropped its own idea to introduce vehicle
age restrictions into the draft of the new air pollution bylaw on
Monday, realizing the enormous cost that it would impose, and
with the city administration yet to provide adequate public
transport as an alternative to private vehicles. The Jakarta Post
asked residents about their opinion on the issue.

Sarah, 28, is a housewife. She lives with her husband and
daughter in Tebet, South Jakarta:

It's a good idea if we want to reduce the number of private
cars traversing the city.

But I'm afraid the authority has gone too far in saying that
old vehicles cause air pollution.

If the issue is actually about clean air, then the officials
should walk out from their air-conditioned offices and cars and
go to the city's outskirts to see what they won't see along the
city's main thoroughfares.

They have to see how factories just release gases and black
smoke from industrial processes into the air without any
treatment, showering the ground and nearby houses with thick ash.

I want our administration and council to focus on the issues
they are working on, and to not to try and mislead us.

Wawan, 26, is an employee of a printing company in Central
Jakarta. He lives with his family in Cilandak, South Jakarta:

I disagree with the policy to limit the age of cars in Jakarta
because we are simply not ready.

It's not just because I have an eight-year-old Toyota but
those who can't afford the latest models are only the rich ones,
while people from the low- to middle-income brackets can only buy
old cars. It is totally unfair.

I can understand that the policy will limit the number of cars
in Jakarta, hence decrease the level of pollution and traffic
jams.

But the city administration has to work on the city's
transportation system first before implementing the policy.

You can't just tell people to dump their car but at the same
time not provide good public transportation.

To be honest, I do not feel secure or comfortable in public
transport such as buses and trains under current conditions
because pickpocketing and robbery are rampant.

--The Jakarta Post