Tough punishments for people who litter

Tough punishments for people who litter

After having traveled recently to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and
Bangkok, I am asking myself: Why is Jakarta the only city of the
four where trash is found virtually everywhere, in residential
areas, along busy streets, in parks, in rivers and so on.

Nowhere else have I seen so many people littering and burning
waste.

I ask myself, why is a government so concerned with trying to
punish kissing in public, when people can throw their water
bottles and other waste anywhere as they please, without any
threat from officials.

I think Jakarta urgently needs to enforce strict laws on
littering. Tough punishments have to be imposed on people who
litter! In Singapore, as we know, caning and fines are imposed,
while in Bangkok the penalty for littering is a fine of about
US$50. What keeps the Indonesian authorities from imposing and
enforcing this kind of regulation? Or is littering and burning
waste considered a protectable human right?

JOACHIM HARTMANN, Jakarta