Recent unrest still haunting 'ojek' drivers

Recent unrest still haunting 'ojek' drivers

JAKARTA (JP): Motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, who used to work
near the Jati Bening toll road in Bekasi, were apparently still
too scared to work there Saturday, two days after a riot there.

Only three ojek were waiting for passengers, far from the toll
road's exit at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Dozens of the drivers became angry Thursday night when police
and toll road security officers stopped public buses from
dropping passengers near the exit.

The riot started at about 7 p.m. when one of the regular ojek
drivers was given a traffic ticket.

As the officer took the driver off to a nearby police station,
the other drivers began shouting at police and stoning toll
booths and cars.

In the melee some passing cars were damaged, and most went
through the toll without paying.

Police and soldiers gained control of the situation at about
10 p.m.

Safrudin, 40, said Saturday that the income he made as an ojek
driver had dropped from an average Rp 20,000 (US$8.30) to Rp
7,500 a day since the riot.

He said no public buses had dropped passengers there since the
riot, so there were no customers for the ojek drivers.

Another driver, Suhanda, said some drivers had moved to Kali
Malang because they were afraid of the police.

Suhanda said only a few of the rioters were ojek drivers.

"I don't know where the others came from. They were probably
locals or drivers from nearby areas," he said.

City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said that eight
people, only two were ojek drivers, were arrested for throwing
stones.

At least four toll booths were damaged and a police car's
windows were shattered in the riot, Aritonang said.

State-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga Spokesman David
Wijayatno said the riot was caused by people who were
disappointed because the public buses were stopped from dropping
passengers at the exit.

David said the buses were stopped from dropping passengers in
an attempt to uphold Government Regulation No. 8/1990, because
the practice caused traffic jams.

Some motorists said traffic jams were also caused by people
handing out pamphlets at the exit, about a housing complex.

They were allowed to hand out their pamphlets there because
they had paid an official, motorists alleged.

Ojek were needed in the area as it had several housing
complexes including Jati Bening Indah, Pondok Cikunir Indah and
Taman Bougenvile, locals said.

A Jati Bening Permai housewife said she preferred to get off
at the Jati Bening exit and take an ojek because it was far
closer to her house than getting off in Bekasi.

She said she wanted to take the regular public transportation
vehicles on Jl. Kali Malang near the Cikampek toll road, but the
heavy traffic there put her off. (jun)