Official fail to remove flags
Official fail to remove flags
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Central Jakarta's public order officers conducted a cowardly
crackdown on illegal banners and street vendors in the city's
main thoroughfares of Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman on Saturday,
failing to make the slightest impact on a crowded landscape.
Supported by 130 personnel in 13 operational vehicles, the
operation failed to remove any political party flags illegally
placed along the streets, nor did they clear the streets of
illegal vendors.
Flags belonging to major political parties such as the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the National Awakening
Party and the Justice and Unity Party have long been illegally
coloring the city's thoroughfares.
But public order officers did not touch them.
"We don't have the guts to pull down political flags and
banners, although they are illegal. I myself don't have the
courage to tell you why. These guys seem to have immunity," said
Chrisman Siregar, field coordinator of the operation, when asked
why he did not remove political items.
Politics, however, was not the only issue to test the
officials' flagging courage. They also failed to rid the streets
of illegal private banners.
At a crossing bridge in front of the Sarinah building in
Central Jakarta, for instance, public order officers were halted
by Kebon Sirih subdistrict officials when they tried to take down
a large banner reading Damai Ternyata Indah (Peace Is Beautiful),
belonging to the Jaya factory outlet.
After some argument, public order officers eventually
retreated to their vehicles.
They also failed to remove illegal vendors from the streets,
especially those in the Bendungan Hilir area.
Saturday's operation was the last day of a three-day street
clearance operation, targeting street vendors and illegal
banners, flags and posters.
During the three-day operation, costing the city Rp 12 million
(about US$1,150), the officers managed to forcibly remove carts
and other items belonging to 81 street vendors.