On garbage handling

On garbage handling

From Koran Tempo

The Clean Up Indonesia campaign was kicked off by a cleanup
around the Gelora Bung Karno sports stadium in Jakarta on Aug. 8.
Australian Ambassador David Ritchie participated in the event,
but no government officials were to be seen.

The garbage issue should be seriously tackled. President
Megawati Soekarnoputri once expressed her shame when she compared
Jakarta with Shanghai. So, why didn't she appoint a Jakarta
governor capable of managing the city's waste problem?

The absence of officials to pay the usual lip service at the
start of the campaign was all right. What is needed is their real
concern over the issue and a determination to seriously carry out
clean-up operations, rather than mere lip service.

At the end of the 1960s, Jakarta sent officials responsible
for urban sanitation to London and the London authorities offered
assistance. But, it seems that there was no follow-up to this.

ENDUNG SASMITO
Ontario, Canada