Jakarta roundup

Jakarta roundup

From Kompas

By virtue of its goal to make the capital city an orderly and disciplined place, the Jakarta administration must remedy all irregularities, including crime and the pedicabs that crisscross the streets and intersections of the city.

Strict measures recently taken by the city administration prompted pedicab drivers to stage an unruly protest which not only resulted in material losses but also in the death of Masdani Bin Rusli, a security officer in the Petamburan subdistrict, Gambir, Central Jakarta.

On Aug. 16, 2001, Kompas published a story about a crime in which a Pak Zakir was stabbed by a mugger on a public minivan as he, along with his wife and son, were heading for their home in Kampung Rambutan, South Jakarta. Enough is enough!

Given that so many criminal acts occur nearly every day in the capital, we are in full support of the measures taken by the Jakarta administration. We hope that the goal of the operation is not only the rounding up of pedicab drivers and sidewalk vendors but also other offenders, including illegal parking attendants and the youths at U-turns who solicit money from motorists.

The Jakarta administration must be consistent and committed in enforcing the law, and toward that end the governor must work hard to free the city's public servants and security forces from all the different kinds of bribery with which they are very familiar. Failing that, Jakarta will never be a capital city we are proud of.

TIOPAN

Jakarta