Killers on the roads

Killers on the roads

I am a German expatriate who has worked for the past two years
in Surabaya at SMK 5, formerly STM. This technical high school is
one of the five pilot schools in Indonesia, assisted by the
German government to implement the System Ganda (PSG) and to
improve the skills of the Indonesian workforce. It is intended to
ensure Indonesia will have adequate skills in the future to
produce high-quality products to improve the shattered economy
and to reduce the poverty of the people.

Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries I have seen,
with the friendliest people, natural wonders, a rich culture and
bountiful natural resources. I recently went with colleagues and
friends to Pandaan to visit the cultural center, officially
opened by the vice governor of Surabaya. There was a dance
performance, and all of us were impressed by the organization and
the performance of the dancers. After the ceremony, the
organizers gave me a questionnaire with questions about my
impression of the cultural performance, ideas on how to promote
the rich culture of East Java and how to make this beautiful part
of Indonesia more attractive.

Unfortunately, earlier that morning, I received a phone call
from my school. I was asked to attend the funeral of one of my
closest colleagues, Bapak H.S. I could not believe what I heard,
but it was true. H.S. told me some time ago that he was going to
visit Bandung on the weekend with some members of his family.

He left Surabaya and he, his father, his brother died in a
terrible accident near Ngawi. His mother is in critical condition
and only his daughter survived the accident with minor injuries.

How long will this killing on Indonesia's roads continue? The
accident happened because a tourist bus was overtaking another
vehicle, although the bus driver could not see the oncoming
traffic, or simply did not care. It seems to be that bus drivers
have free license to kill people on Indonesia's roads. Bus
drivers speeding and overtaking while traffic is coming from the
opposite direction is common practice in Indonesia.

Not long ago I returned by car from Bali and twice I was
forced off the road by the careless overtaking of buses. One day
I was driving on the toll road from Gempol to Surabaya. A bus
overtook me at high speed. I tried to follow him in my Kijang. It
was not possible to follow the bus because the maximum speed of
my Kijang is only 130 kilometers per hour. The bus was much
faster.

Are there regulations on Indonesian roads? And are there any
responsible people if the regulations are in place? What is the
role of the police in Indonesia? Is there anybody available to
stop this killing on Indonesia's roads?

We lost a good friend at SMK 5 in Surabaya. We lost one of the
most experienced teachers of our school. An entire family was
nearly wiped out because it seems nobody is doing anything about
this terrible situation on Indonesia's roads. On top of this
ridiculous situation, I learned that bus drivers receive a bonus
from the bus owners if they drive as fast as possible and reduce
traveling time between destinations (e.g. Surabaya-Madiun).

DIRK HARS

Surabaya