YLKI balks at plan to hike toll road fees

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) expressed strong objection on Thursday to the government's plan to raise tolls on several tollways in the country, including the Jagorawi toll road.

YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih said the increase would not only affect car owners but also passengers of public buses because public transportation drivers would "illegally" increase their fares.

"The plan reflects that the government has no sense at all of the economic crisis," she said in a statement.

According to Indah, the government's reason that current tolls could no longer cover the soaring operational costs of tollways could not be accepted since tollway operators never publicly announce their earnings.

YLKI also regretted the House of Representatives' decision to approve the plan to raise tolls without involving the public, she said.

"The plan should be postponed until people recover from the crippling and prolonged economic crisis," Indah said.

On Wednesday, House Commission IV for public works and transportation approved the government's plan to raise road tolls.

"We approved the plan after seeing the condition of toll road operators. We were not forced by any party to do so," commission head Burhanuddin Napitupulu said after a hearing with Minister of Public Works Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo.

Burhanuddin said the House supported the plan mainly based on recent visits they made to several toll roads and the offices of toll road operators across the country.

The House members, he argued, found that toll road operators, including PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, a company controlled by former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti "Tutut" Rukmana, were finding it difficult to cover maintenance costs of the roads due to the increasing price of construction materials.

He said the House also approved the plan since tolls had not been raised since 1992.

Minister Rachmadi said the government was still calculating details of the toll hike, including those for the Jakarta-Merak and the Jagorawi toll roads. (jun)