Plan to buy buses from China opposed

JAKARTA (JP): A transportation expert from Yogyakarta's Gajah Mada University, Heru Sutomo, urged the Jakarta city administration to be cautious in its plan to import buses from China.

Heru told Governor Sutiyoso and his staff overseeing the plan to ensure the imported buses would not burden the city administration and the private bus companies which would purchase the Chinese vehicles.

He also hoped China could guarantee the after-sales service for the buses and would commit to the transfer of its technology to maintain the buses to locals.

"As long as the city administration can ensure these two things, there is no reason for the government to prohibit the import of the buses, a position taken last week by Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut B. Panjaitan.

"If the ministry objects to the deal, maybe it's because they have an interest in protecting local production. If we are allowed to have the technology afterward and reproduce it ourselves, there would be no problem in importing these buses," Heru said from Yogyakarta.

Minister Luhut reportedly disapproves of the plan. "What's going on here? (People) only want to take the easy way. If we can construct (the buses) here, why should we import them?" he asked on Friday.

In an open bid, the city administration appointed PT Dayu Bahtara Kurnia to handle the shipment of 3,000 buses from China to replace the capital's aging fleet of buses.

The company claimed the Chinese bus factory which produced the vehicles would provide a lifetime warranty for the buses' spare parts. (dja)