Unauthorized fee approved by mayor: Tanah Abang Union

Unauthorized fee approved by mayor: Tanah Abang Union

JAKARTA (JP): The Union of the Big Family of Tanah Abang
(IKBT) maintained on Tuesday it had legal grounds to impose a Rp
2,000 (23 US cents) daily levy on mikrolet (public minivan)
drivers serving the Tanah Abang-Kebayoran Lama and Tanah Abang-
Kebon Jeruk routes.

"We were established in 1997 upon the initiative of the
Central Jakarta mayor to solve problems at the Tanah Abang
market," IKBT chairman Yusuf Muhi told members of the City
Council's Commission A for government affairs.

Yusuf, locally known as Bang Ucu, said the Rp 2,000 fee taken
from M-09 and M-11 mikrolet drivers, who serve the route from
Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta to Kebayoran Lama in South
Jakarta and the route from Tanah Abang market to Kebon Jeruk in
West Jakarta, respectively, was used to pay local youths so they
would not create trouble, such as asking for money from the
drivers entering the area.

"We only want to help the drivers, but if they refuse the
offer, it's okay with us," he said.

Yusuf was invited to the City Council after representatives of
about 150 mikrolet drivers staged a peaceful demonstration at the
council asking the councillors to put and end to the unauthorized
fee.

While their colleagues were fighting for the abolition of the
levy at the City Council, other drivers continued the strike
until midday Tuesday, following a mass strike on Monday.

The strike forced thousands of people to seek alternative
transportation, such as bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicles)
and ojek (motorcycle taxis).

Ojek drivers were present at every bus stop, crossroads and
along the streets served by the mikrolet, while bajaj passed the
area frequently.

The move by M-09 and M-11 mikrolet drivers won the support of
hundreds of M-10 drivers, serving the Tanah Abang-Jembatan Lima-
Kota route, and who joined the strike on Tuesday.

"We hope the unauthorized fee will be halted as it costs us a
lot," said Agus, a driver from Jembatan Lima in West Jakarta.

Besides the "official" levy by IKBT, the drivers also
complained about other fees, such as those imposed by pak ogah
(illegal traffic wardens), which IKBT had promised to curb once
they applied the Rp 2,000 levy.

Central Jakarta Police deputy chief Maj. Iza Fadri, who was
present at the hearing, supported Yusuf's statement.

"The police have arrested the illegal traffic wardens, but
they will start asking the drivers for money again, once they are
released," Iza said.

"The levy by IKBT is a solution to curb unauthorized fees in
the area," he added, pointing out that the levy was adopted
following an agreement between the drivers and IKBT.

The drivers' representatives, however, denied that there had
been such an agreement.

"Why was IKBT granted the authority to impose the levy?"
Dayus, one of the representatives, said.

"Why do the police tolerate such a levy?" he added.

Another driver, Habib Muklis, 31, said the levy was a burden
for them since they only made between Rp 15,000 to Rp 20,000 a
day.

"Pak Ogah often bang on or scratch our minivans if we refuse
to pay," Muklis told The Jakarta Post.

Commission A chairman Binsar Tambunan also questioned IKBT's
authority to collect the money from drivers.

"Don't solve one problem with another," Binsar exclaimed,
adding that he vowed to question the mayor about his decision to
let IKBT continue their operation.

Councillors then persuaded the drivers to go back to work
while asking Yusuf to instruct his personnel to temporarily stop
withdrawing money from the drivers until a better solution to
curb illegal street wardens was found.

The drivers, however, insisted that they would only operate
again if Iza could guarantee their safety from IKBT members or
other illegal street wardens.

They eventually agreed after Iza gave his assurance that he
had already deployed police personnel in the area.

As of 2 p.m on Tuesday, several M-09 and M-11 mikrolets were
seen passing Jl. Palmerah Utara in West Jakarta and Jl. Jatibaru
in Tanah Abang.

"Our friends from the City Council told us that we could start
operating again," said Syafi'i, an M-09 driver. (08/asa)