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