Sutiyoso asks council to focus on bus fares

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso wrote to the newly established City Council on Wednesday asking them to prioritize the city administration's proposal of putting up the price of bus fares.

The letter, issued two days after some 160 bus drivers and owners rallied to City Hall and threatened to conduct a massive strike next week, was signed by Deputy Governor for Development Affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi, on behalf of the Governor.

The council's provisional speaker, Abdul Aziz Matnur, confirmed on Wednesday that the council had received the governor's letter.

"However, we could not reply to the letter or start discussing the proposal because we are still busy with meetings to establish the council's five commissions and elect the council speaker and leaders," Aziz from the Justice Party (PK) said.

He said the proposal would not be discussed until the council had elected a council speaker as well as his or her deputies. The city representatives also have to be established for the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). The election of council leaders is to be held on Sept. 14, and the establishment of the city representatives on Sept. 20.

Former head of the council's Commission D for development affairs, Ali Wongso Sinaga, suggested that the city administration should comply with the former council's recommendation.

"Governor Sutiyoso has yet to comply with our recommendation that the city administration subsidize the bus owners, through the eradication of taxes and levies," Ali who now chairs Lembaga Pengkajian dan Pemberdayaan Daerah, a research group on regional empowerment, said on Wednesday.

He dismissed speculations that the former council intentionally issued an unclear recommendation to the city administration to avoid the responsibility and to give extra work to the new council.

"It's a very complicated problem. We disagree with the fare hikes as the majority of the city residents are still suffering from the economic crisis," Ali said.

"Many passengers don't even pay the fares because they have no money. How can we suggest a price rise in such a situation?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Ali said that bus owners have also suffered from the crisis. "They have had to deal with price increases for bus spare parts and for operational costs."

Although the bus owners have suffered, Ali hoped that they would cancel their plan to stage a massive strike next week.

Some 160 bus owners, drivers and conductors from bus firms such as Kopaja, Metro Mini, ARH, Koantas Bima, Mayasari Bhakti, Hiba, Himpurna and Pahala Kencana, threatened to conduct a massive strike next week if Sutiyoso failed to raise fares.

Sutiyoso's bus fare hike proposal was based on a recommendation by the Organization of Land and Transportation Owners (Organda), the City Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) and the Indonesian Consumers Organization (YLKI).

The proposal included an increase in regular bus fares from Rp 300 to Rp 500 and an increase from Rp 700 to Rp 900 for non-air- conditioned buses.

The minibus fares were recommended to increase to Rp 700 from Rp 500, while the air-conditioned Patas bus fares were to rise to Rp 2,500 from Rp 2,300. The student fare for regular buses was to be doubled from the current Rp 100. (jun)