Plant sellers

Plant sellers

I would like to refer to your article titled Plant sellers
protest expulsion plan, Oct. 28, 1994, on page three. The article
is quite biased and only gives the point of view of the 85 plant
sellers.

May I express my opinion about the proposed storm water drains
(gutters) along Jl. T.B. Simatupang, South Jakarta.

Last year's rainy season gave us heavy floods along Jl. T.B.
Simatupang, especially in the areas which are abutted by the
plant sellers. Getting stuck for hours in traffic jams caused by
the floods was no fun for the road users and certainly hurts the
Indonesian economy by unnecessarily burning fuel.

During those trying times I always cursed the contractor of
the toll road for bad planning, without knowing that the cause
for the distress of thousands of motorists and bus passengers
were 85 plant sellers. (My apologies to the contractor).

By aiming for more democracy, The Jakarta Post should have
researched the opinion of the silent but enduring majority of the
affected people instead of just publishing the loudly voiced
protest of a minority.

F. TRAMPEL

Jakarta