'Sutiyoso pressured by bus owners'
Not all lawyers are rich and drive big fancy cars. Some rely on buses, minivans and ojek (motorcycle taxis) to get around Jakarta. And those lawyers in a position to speak intelligently on the issue see the city administration's plan to increase public transportation fares as a move that will only add to the suffering of already beleaguered Jakartans.
Azas Tigor Nainggolan, the chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta), who often takes public transportation while visiting clients or attending rallies against the administration.
The city administration's plan to increase public transportation fares by an average of 40 percent shows that it only listens to the bus owners.
The recent increase in fuel prices by an average of 14 percent will not have that much of an influence on the operational costs for buses since fuel only accounts for 7 percent of operational costs.
I have asked bus drivers, who said that they would not object if fares were not increased. If the fares are increased, they will only pay higher rental fees to the bus owners.
It seems that (Governor) Sutiyoso was pressured by bus owners. Once again the administration failed to side with ordinary people.
Christina Widiastanti from the Jakarta Social Institute (ISJ) normally takes public minivans from her house on Jl. Kayumanis to the ISJ office in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.
The government should increase rates, such as electricity rates, and taxes, let's say the tax on cars, for wealthy people or companies, and use the money to subsidize public transportation, which is usually used by normal people.
If the administration carries through with its plan to increase bus fares, it will only make the ordinary people suffer. People's lives will get harder and harder in the city.
In the long run, this could possibly create more social problems, which would cost the city dearly. It would be better to provide a cross-subsidy for land transportation to avoid new problems.
Erna Ratnaningsih from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) takes an ojek, a public minivan and a bus from her house in Bogor, West Java, to the LBH office on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta.
The city administration under Governor Sutiyoso is clearly paying no attention to ordinary people with its plan to increase public transportation fares.
Besides the planned fare increases, Sutiyoso's other policies, such as evictions, always cause the people, mainly the poor, to suffer.
If he goes ahead with policies that are disadvantageous to ordinary people, who are a majority in the city, people will hate him. They will fight the city administration.
People might ignore the city's regulations. They see injustice as their lives become more difficult, while city officials and councillors waste money and receive luxurious facilities.