President Abdurrahman defends ban on 'becak'

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid defended on Saturday the city administration's decision to ban becak (pedicabs) from operating in the city due to humanitarian grounds.

Addressing a gathering of 10,000 of the city's poor residents at the Senayan main stadium, South Jakarta, the President said pedicab drivers should not misunderstand the administration's policy.

"The ban on becak operating in the city was indeed meant as a measure to eradicate poverty.

"We cannot let becak drivers continue their operations here as they've been working like horses," he said.

"Jakarta is the capital city. It's not supposed to have becak on its streets anymore," he said.

In May, Governor Sutiyoso upheld a 1988 bylaw that prohibits becak from operating in the city, saying that Jakarta was a pedicab-free area.

Earlier last year, Sutiyoso allowed the pedicab drivers into the city due to the prolonged economic crisis.

Since then the number of pedicabs has increased significantly. Sutiyoso then revoked his statement, ordering city public order officials to conduct raids on pedicabs.

The President admitted that there have been procedural violations by city officials, but suggested that raids on becak were positive for both the drivers and the administration.

"The most important thing is how to provide new jobs for the becak drivers," he said.

The gathering, organized by the Urban Poor Consortium, was attended by poor city residents, including 1,000 becak drivers who went to the stadium on their decorated becak.

Also present at the gathering were Abdurrahman's wife Sinta Nuriyah, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Hamzah Haz, Minister of Settlement and Territorial Development Erna Witoelar, and Sutiyoso.

The President's statement was opposed by most of the drivers, who said that driving becak was the only skill they had.

"What can we do then? That's the only thing we can do for a living," becak driver Sarnap said after the gathering.

Rasdullah, who has been working as a pedicab driver for 33 years, earlier expressed hope that the government would not ban becak in Jakarta.

"That's the only thing we can do to support our family," he told the President.

The poor people came to the stadium on rented buses and trucks. Some pedicab drivers even spent an evening around the stadium.

"We left at about 2 a.m. from our homes in Muara Baru, West Jakarta, to get here," said becak driver Sunardi.

Poverty eradication

The President then called on the Indonesian people's active participation in the country's campaign for poverty eradication.

"Poverty eradication is not the sole responsibility of the government, but also the people and the business community," said Abdurrahman.

"People should not be dependent on the government as they have to learn how to solve their own problems."

He said giving excessive authority to the government would be dangerous. "A powerful government is dangerous for the people."

He praised several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for their active involvement in poverty eradication campaigns nationwide.

"I myself was an NGO activist. I respect the works of Cathy Lengkong, Romo Sandyawan and Wardah Hafidz," the President said, referring to several well-known names in the poverty eradication campaign.

Abdurrahman maintained that poverty eradication was his government's main agenda.

"If we can't solve this problem, we will be a pariah nation," he said.

Separately, Hamzah Haz said his office was now working on several programs for poverty eradication.

"The programs, which will include the distribution of credit plans for the poor, will be coordinated with related ministries," he said.

Earlier, a representative for factory workers, Setiyono, asked the President to increase the minimum regional wage (UMR) for factory workers.

"The current UMR is no longer enough to cover our spending," he said.

Mariah, a housewife, aired her concern over the continuing economic crisis.

"If we don't have anything left, we may have to turn to selling drugs to support our family," she said.

She also criticized the government's social safety net program, saying that the fund seldom reached the rightful recipients, but fell into the hands of unauthorized persons," she said. (05)