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)