Plan to buy buses from China opposed

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)