Judges still lenient to traffic violators
Judges still lenient to traffic violators
JAKARTA (JP): It was something of an anti-climax to the tough talk of the police and their new operation to clamp down on traffic violators.
As the first trials of the hundreds of motorists caught under the special operation were opened in five district courts in Jakarta on Tuesday, judges refrained from imposing the stiffest penalties permitted by law -- almost to the point of defeating the operation's objective.
Of the 764 cases brought before the courts on Tuesday, the heftiest fine imposed was Rp 250,000, well below the Rp 6 million allowed by the 1992 Traffic Law. Most of the other fines were just above Rp 100,000 and many were actually below that.
The Jakarta Police launched its special operation on Jan. 3, known locally as the KTL, when traffic laws were to be fully enforced on the city's main thoroughfares.
Since the enactment of the law in 1992, police have been reluctant to impose the full fines because of strong public opposition. But with traffic violations continuing almost unabated as of late, police decided that the stiff penalties should be imposed as a deterrent.
The first trials were opened simultaneously in Central, North, South, East and West Jakarta District Courts on Tuesday.
As was widely expected, the majority of those caught were public transport drivers, notorious for their reckless driving which often puts their passengers at great risk.
The South Jakarta District Court was the busiest, with 314 cases brought before it. The cases were dealt with quickly as most of motorists did not bother to argue and simply accepted the verdicts and the fines, according to Pos Kota.
The Central Jakarta District came second with 191 cases of traffic violations.
Some of the motorists were not aware of the special operation and were surprised when the judges read the amounts they had to pay. Many were not prepared and forced to retrieve funds from home.
One or two defendants did try to argue their way out, but were unsuccessful. One motorcyclist even tried to appeal his verdict, but changed his mind when the judge challenged him to produce a witness to corroborate his stand.
Many bus drivers were fined for failing to observe the new policy requiring that all doors of their vehicles should be shut when they are moving.
Meanwhile, a coordinating meeting was held on Tuesday involving officials from the Jakarta High Prosecution Office and the City Police to review the operation after its first week.
The meeting agreed that full enforcement of the 1992 Traffic Law would be expanded to all of Jakarta as of Aug. 17, the day Indonesia marks its independence anniversary.
"It is a gift to the people in connection with the anniversary," quipped Suyoto, the chief of the Jakarta High Prosecution Office. (emb)