Public welcomes Moerdiono's APEC meet holiday idea
JAKARTA (JP): After watching the rehearsal of the convoy of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) delegates yesterday, a minister, police officers and the public expressed the view that Nov. 14 and 15 should be declared holidays in Jakarta and Bogor.
"I'm coming to the conclusion that Jakarta and Bogor should be given days off," Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, who is also head of the National Committee for APEC, told reporters after watching the rehearsal from a Puma helicopter, of the convoy of delegates who will attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) in Bogor on Nov. 15.
Moerdiono said last Monday the government was considering the possibility of giving Jakarta days off on Nov. 14 and 15 and Bogor on Nov. 15.
"If this decision is made, it will be for the comfort of the people, not for the AELM alone," he said.
Moerdiono's idea received tremendous support from many parties, including city traffic police officers, commuters, employers, civil servants and students.
"It will be much easier for us to control and organize traffic flow if the idea can be realized," commented head of Operational Affairs of the City Traffic Police Directorate Lt. Col. Herman S. Suradiredja.
Herman, who is directly involved in the task of transporting the delegates, said the convoy of delegates on Nov. 15 might face minor problem heading to Bogor from their hotels in the morning, as was learned during yesterday's rehearsal, due to the three-in- one system applied on the streets used by the delegates.
"But the convoy could be caught in serious traffic jams on their way back to their hotels because of peak hour traffic," he said. "So, the proposed holidays could be very helpful."
Comments
A driver of the Cimone (Tangerang)-Blok M state-owned express city bus service said the proposed holidays would also help everybody, including he and his commuters, avoid being trapped in traffic jams during those days.
"I read this in the paper and totally agree with the minister's idea because by applying a change of the route, it would only create heavy traffic jams and waste our time, which means we'd get no money to pay the rental fee to our company," driver Karman said.
Lawyer Yanti Abdurrachman commented: "It's not only that we'd have an extended weekend but it would be hard for our clients to reach our office or for us to attend meetings outside."
Imelda, a high school student, said that her teachers have yet to give any comment on the proposed holidays but she and her mates welcome the idea.
"We could use the days off to study at home," she said.
According to the temporary schedule, certain streets in Jakarta and Bogor and the Semanggi-Bogor toll road will be closed to public vehicles between 7:45 and 9 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Nov. 15.
The day before the AELM, the delegates will attend a gala dinner at the Jakarta Convention Center hosted by President Soeharto. The delegates, who will be staying at star-rated hotels in the city, will be transported to the Convention Center from 5:45 p:m until 7 p.m., through blockaded streets, starting from Jl. Lapangan Banteng, Jl. Pejambon, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and JL. Gatot Subroto.
During the first two arrival days on Nov. 11 and 12, main streets heading from the Soekarno-Hatta international airport and Halim Perdanakusumah airport to the delegates' hotels in the city will be temporarily closed to let them arrive at their hotels on schedule.
Rehearsal
During the general rehearsal of the convoy of delegates to and from the Bogor Palace, no significant traffic problems were encountered.
"Basically, everything was on schedule," Moerdiono said.
Light traffic jams were seen on Jl. Gatot Subroto in the Slipi area during the morning hours.
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto attributed this to the cooperation of motorists.
"We learned that many of them had left for their offices earlier than usual," said Hindarto, who accompanied Moerdiono during the inspection.
APEC groups the six member countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, with Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the United States. Chile will become the 18th member at the summit. (bsr/mas/22)
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