Jakarta starts operating Proton cabs
Jakarta starts operating Proton cabs
JAKARTA (JP): A local taxi company began operating 200 Proton
cabs imported from Malaysia yesterday, the first batch of 1,000
such vehicles designated for Jakarta and its surrounding areas
this year.
The taxis, licensed under the name of Citra Taxi, were
officially launched by State Minister of Research and Technology
B.J. Habibie and the president of PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada,
who is the majority shareholder in taxi company PT Citra Transpor
Nusantara.
PT Citra Lamtoro Gung, which is owned by President Soeharto's
eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, is the sole agent of
Proton cars here.
The importing of Proton vehicles is part of a deal between
Indonesia and Malaysia under which Kuala Lumpur will buy six
Indonesian-made CN-235 military transport aircraft.
Habibie and Malaysia's Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak
signed the US$224 million deal last year.
Duty
Speaking at yesterday's ceremony, Habibie said that Indonesia
plans to import 730 cabs from Proton Malaysia before the end of
March and the rest by the end of the year. Indonesia imposes no
duty on importing taxis. "We hope to import more in 1997" he
said.
The first three CN-235 aircraft will arrive in Malaysia by
November this year while the rest by March next year.
In return, Indonesia will buy 20 Malaysian-made MD3-160 light
trainer aircraft and 1,500 Proton cars. Of the 1,500 imported
cars, 1,000 will be operated as taxi and the rest will be used by
the government.
Indonesia has not set any quota on the number of Proton cars
that can enter the country.
Proton cars use Liquefied Petroleum Gas as fuel but there are
no LPG stations in the city. Habibie said that his office will
cooperate with other government agencies and the state-owned oil
company, Pertamina, to solve the problem.
In addition to waiving the import duty on Proton cars,
Indonesia has also endorsed the move by Proton Malaysia to set up
an assembly plant in Indonesia within two years.
This will be the second such plant outside Malaysia. The other
is in the Philippines.
The General Manager of Proton Corporation, Syed Hisham Syed
Wazier, said yesterday that the company is undertaking a
feasibility study "to find the right place, time and availability
of local components to realize the plan," he said.
The president of PT Citra Transport Nusantara, Jonkie D.
Sugiarto, told reporters after the ceremony that some parts of
the Proton cars, including the air conditioner and ergometer are
already provided locally.
The Rp 40-billion (US$18 million) investment project is said
by all parties concerned to contribute something to the drivers
who will have a chance to own the cars after working at the taxi
company for five years. (03).