Thank God, Jakarta is back to normal
Thank God, Jakarta is back to normal
JAKARTA (JP): "Just what do they think they're doing to my Jakarta?" said Martha vehemently upon seeing the shaping-up activities that were pounding this metropolitan city in line with the golden anniversary of Indonesia's independence.
She had good reasons to be furious. She was accused of violating the regulations that prohibit people crossing Jalan Thamrin without using the pedestrian bridge.
"I have been crossing the road this way for ages. And suddenly I'm a violator," she ranted.
Martha, one the lovers of this heavily-congested city, was certainly not happy with the changes made by the authorities. "Her" Jakarta had been a city of convenience where the residents could cross the main road wherever they pleased; where one could conveniently snap a pack of cigarette from a street vendor at a road intersection and threw the money out of the car windows; where city bus drivers could use the road as though it was a racing track. If they were caught for violating traffic regulations, they could just make a deal with the traffic police and get away with it.
But then, with the preparations for the golden year, everything was arranged in such a way that the proper handling of this 468 year-old city could be demonstrated. Cleanliness was maintained, regulations were enforced, services were improved. "Show that we are good citizens" people were lectured at every opportunity. And that sentence worked magic. People decorated their houses; cops were everywhere to keep everything orderly, chasing any traffic violator and refusing bribes; city bus drives closed their doors as per regulation and stopped only at designated places; and if your car did not have the correct number of passengers to justify entry to the restricted area, you had to wait until 10 a.m. because the so called three-in-one jockeys (those who are paid to be passengers) were bulldozed out of sight.
"Just wait until this commotion is over, Madame," a taxi driver consoled Martha. "Everything will be back to normal."
Normal condition for certain taxi drivers is when they can grab passengers at the airport without waiting for their turn in the Q-up line set by the port authority and refuse to use their taxi meters so that they can charge the passengers at their own terms.
"Regulations are just like mangoes; they are seasonal," a driver said. And who can blame him? Implementation of regulations seems to be inconsistent. Sometimes, you commit a serious violation and get away with it, sometimes you are fined just because you cross the road at the wrong place. The regulation requiring bus drivers to close the doors is a perfect example of inconsistency. This regulation has been opposed by both passengers and bus drivers, because closing the doors of non-air- conditioned buses in the formidable heat of Jakarta creates speeding saunas. But the city authorities did not budge. In practice, however, the regulation is not enforced consistently. Most drivers (especially those with non-air-conditioned buses) violate it, but the traffic authorities pretend not to notice. Only on certain occasions do they make inspections; and the drivers know when.
What the taxi driver said is right. Now, as the party is over, everything is back to the way it used to be. Regulations are slacking off. And so is the discipline of the people.
"Thank God, it's over," said Martha, parking her car on the sidewalk of Jalan H.O.S Cokroaminoto in the Menteng Area, right in front of a "NO PARKING" sign.
-- Carl Chairul