Millions stranded as drivers strike enters third day
Millions stranded as drivers strike enters third day
JAKARTA (JP): Millions of commuters were stranded here
yesterday and had to struggle to reach their destinations in the
capital as a sit-in protest of minibus drivers continued
sporadically.
Protesting drivers of some 5,000 minibuses said that they will
return to work only if the government lifts a hefty new ticketing
traffic fine scale, which is much higher than the previous one.
Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochamad Hindarto announced
yesterday afternoon that he had reached an agreement with owners
of city bus companies to allow the drivers to return to their
jobs at 4 o'clock.
However, by evening no striking drivers had returned to behind
their steering wheels.
Earlier in the day, government officials joined the chorus by
saying they will not be cowed by the protesters.
"National discipline is judged by traffic orderliness. If our
traffic is in order, people will surely say that we have good
national discipline," Gen. Feisal Tanjung, the commander of the
Armed Forces, told reporters yesterday.
The new law sets fines of between Rp 15,000 ($7) and Rp 50,000
($25) for offenses ranging from failing to carry a driver's
license, jaywalking and ignoring traffic signals.
Lower level workers and students, apparent victims of the
strike, were spotted yesterday walking along Jakarta's main
streets, waving their hands desperately for a lift or riding in
police-driven trucks.
At the Blok M mall, the biggest shopping area in South Jakarta
which also houses a bus terminal, hundreds of students were seen
in the shopping area waiting for regular buses.
A passenger jokingly said that Jakarta looked pale yesterday
as the privately-run minibuses, whose colors are orange, dark
blue and white with green, were conspicuously absent from the
streets of the metropolis.
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said that the
government will be consistent in enforcing the law, adding that
minibuses should recognize that their frequent tragic accidents
have left them with a less than sterling reputation.
The strike was participated by drivers of four minibus
companies: PT Metro Mini, Koperasi Angkutan Jakarta (Kopaja),
Koantas Bima and Kowanbisata.
The worst day
Drivers of regular buses, taxis and 14-seat vehicles, however,
made the best of the strike by doubling and even quadrupling
their incomes, especially yesterday, the worst day of the
protest.
Many taxis ignored their meters and only took passengers on a
charter basis, charging well above the authorized fare.
A passenger complained that she had to pay Rp 30,000 to travel
a distance that normally costs Rp 7,000. In South Jakarta taxis
charged Rp 5,000 a person for short trips and took in as many
passengers as possible, just like a minibus.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim, the head of the Jakarta-chapter of the
Ministry of Transportation, warned the protesters that he will
revoke the route licenses of the protesters should they continue
the boycott.
Gen. Hindarto announced: "We're not going to enforce the
maximum fines." He added that drivers need not fear sanctions as
long as they obey traffic regulations.
A leader of the protesters had earlier said that sometimes the
police ticketed them without giving any explanation of their
crimes.
"The police like to look for our infractions," he added.
Analysts, however, have said repeatedly said that the main
problem with Jakarta's traffic is that it lacks a rail-based mass
transit system which could accommodate the needs of the public.
They said that the deadly drivers, corrupt policemen and even
the angry mob, are only the victims of a vicious circle created
by the motor-based transportation system. (yns/bsr/09)
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