China monthly auto sales overtake US for 1st time

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Shanghai | Tue, 02/10/2009 5:56 PM  

China overtook the U.S. in monthly vehicle sales in January for the first time, figures from China's auto industry association showed Tuesday, largely because of a plunge in American car sales. 

If China can outpace the United States in sales for all of 2009, it will become the world's largest vehicle market. 

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Tuesday that 735,000 vehicles were sold in China in January. That surpasses the 656,976 vehicles sold in the U.S. the same month. 

China zoomed past Japan to become the world's second-biggest auto market in 2006. With 1.3 billion people, China'sclimb to the top position is viewed by most in the industry as inevitable. 

Plunging U.S. sales appear have accelerated its ascent. 

While car sales have slowed in China amid the economic downturn, U.S. sales tumbled 37 percent in January to a 26-year low. In China, vehicle sales fell 14.4 percent from a monthly record 860,000 in January 2008, the Chinese industry group's statistics show. 

January sales were 0.8 percent below those in December, and below the 790,000 some analysts had anticipated. 

Last week, Mike DiGiovanni, General Motors Corp.'s executive director of global market and industry analysis, projected that Chinese auto sales could hit 10.7 million vehicles in 2009, more than his estimate of 9.8 million unit sales in the U.S. this year. Autodata Corp. forecasts 2009 U.S. sales at 9.57 million.

RI speeds up compliance with EU flight rules

Aditya Suharmoko, THE JAKARTA POST, THE HAGUE | Tue, 02/10/2009 11:26 AM  

Indonesia expects to comply with all remaining flight safety requirements set by the European Union (EU), a prerequisite before lifting the flight ban, within two months, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said. 

“We have about 10 requirements that we need to fix. We expect to finish them within two months, and in June Garuda (the Indonesia airline) can fly (to Europe),” Kalla said late Sunday speaking before Indonesian citizens in the Netherlands. 

This was part of the Vice President’s three-day visit to the Netherlands. Kalla met Netherlands Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, Economic Affairs Minister Maria van der Houven, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen and Finance Minister Wouter Bos. 

Most of the remaining requirements are in the form of implementing regulations linked to  the recently enacted new law on aviation, which highlights stricter and tougher air safety compliance, Kalla said. 

Kalla added that following the ban, which took effect after a string of deadly aviation accidents in Indonesia, the deadliest being the crash of an Adam Air jet in early 2007 that killed all 102 people on board, the EU laid down about 60 requirements that Indonesian airlines should comply with to fly to Europe. 

Of the total, 50 have already  been fulfilled by Indonesia, he said. 

EU representatives visited the country in January and recognized significant progress had been made in Indonesia’s air safety. 

After meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the visit, Ambassador and Head of Delegation for the EU and EC to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Julian Wilson said the EU was particularly impressed with the passing of the new aviation law, although implementing regulations would still be needed to make the law applicable on the ground. 

Kalla added that the EU flight ban was considered as “introspection” for Indonesian airlines. 

“Although at first we felt it was unfair to us, there is an aspect of security and safety that we need to consider.” 

“We just need to wait for the government regulations and ministerial regulations.”

Indonesia will attend a European Commission meeting in March, and the ban could end as early as then.

Merpati to Open New Palu to Tarakan Route

Monday, 09 February, 2009 | 13:25 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Palu: The airline company PT Merpati Nusantara will soon open a new route between Palu in Central Sulawesi to Tarakan in East Kalimantan. 

“We expect this to be realized in March or no later than April this year,” said the airline's representative for Palu, Catrience, yesterday (8/2). 

He said the new route had much potential for passengers as entrepreneurs from the two cities need to get in touch often. 

Many residents from Palu stay in Tarakan,” said Catrience. 

MUHAMMAD DARLIS

VP says Garuda possibly to resume Europe flights in June

The Hague  (ANTARA News) - Visiting Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said national flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia will possibly resume its flights to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in June this year. 

"We hope Garuda will start flying to Europe again in June this year," Kalla said in a dialog with members of the Indonesian community in the Netherlands here on Monday. 

Hearing the good news from the vice president, the audience at the meeting broke into a rapturous applause because Garuda had suspended its flights to Europe, including to Schippol airport in Amsterdam, following a ban imposed by the European Union on Indonesian airline flights in July 2007. 

Kalla said, when the the EU flight ban was declared, Garuda was required to make improvements on 60 flight safety points but now the list had shrunk to 10 points. 

"It would be good for us to make a self-assessment. The remaining 10 points can be improved in the next two months," the vice president said, adding that Garuda had purchased several new aircraft for the Jakarta-Amsterdam route. 

Kalla said aircraft prices had dropped so Garuda could buy several new ones for its Jakarta-Europe services. 

Meanwhile, the Indonesian community in the Netherlands expressed hope that the resumption of Garuda flights to Amsterdam would really materialize.

E. Java admits slow work in southern coast highway

Ridwan Max Sijabat, THE JAKARTA POST, SURABAYA | Mon, 02/09/2009 5:13 PM  

The East Java provincial administration admitted the construction of the southern coastal highway has been slow going due to topographic challenges. 

The highway stretches from Banyuwangi regency in the east to Pacitan regency in the west. 

The administration said it might not complete the 627-kilometer highway project estimate to cost Rp 3.1 trillion (US$265.52 million) by 2012 as scheduled. 

The highway megaproject chief, Joko Purwanto, said over the weekend that last year the project only managed to finish the opening of a 26-km section in a mountainous area in Blitar, including the hardening of a 4.7-km section and the asphalting of a 4.4-km span. 

"The slow work has a lot to do with the difficult terrain. High hills and deep ravines require additional heavy equipment and operators. Plus it's difficult to operate them during the rainy season," he told The Jakarta Post. 

"Besides, we have to coordinate with local administrations and the Forestry Ministry to compensate villagers and the state-owned forestry firm PT Perhutani for their land being taken over for the road." 

The highway is part of the trans-Java highway connecting southern coastal areas of Central Java, Yogyakarta, West Java and Banten provinces to end the isolation in the southern part of the island and spur economic activity. 

In East Java, the project must acquire 13.5 million square meters of land from Ketapang in Banyuwangi to Pacitan. 

Currently, three main arteries traverse Java: the northern coastal (Pantura), the central and the southern highways. The central and southern highways are far more winding and narrow than the broad and relatively straight Pantura highway. 

Joko said before President Megawati Soekarnoputri launched the southern highway project in 2002, the provincial transportation agency had conducted a feasibility study and taken remote images. 

He said from 2002 to 2008, 74.6 kms of road had been laid down as well as 1.7 kms of the 6.5 kms of bridges planned.

"This year, we are asking to acquire portions of protected forest in Blitar, Trenggalek and Tulungagung regencies," he said. 

When asked about the funds spent in the past six years, Joko said the construction of the 74.6-km road had consumed Rp 232.2 billion from state budgets, Rp 272.8 billion from provincial budgets and Rp 75.1 billion from regency budgets. 

"The project is closely supervised by provincial authorities and audited annually by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK)," he added. 

Joko said this year construction will lay down the 5.5-km Pacitan-Prigi section, the 12-km Grejo-Sirene Beach section in Tulungagung, the 5-km Tulungagung-Jolosutro section in Blitar and the 9-km Selok Awar-Jatimulyo section in Lumajang.

Logistic firms pin hopes on domestic orders

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/09/2009 6:26 PM  

The logistics sector, which absorbs the most workers after the manufacturing sector, is relying heavily on growth in the domestic market this year. 

As the global economic downturn erodes demand for imports and exports, the Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI) expects the majority of growth in orders to come from the local market. 

And with the elections looming large, the association's high hopes for domestic orders seem justified, ALI chairman Zaldy Ilham Masita said Saturday. 

"We are optimistic that we'll see 10 percent growth in domestic demand this year, because of the upcoming elections," he said. 

Past experience shows that elections have proved a major boost for transactions that involve logistics services. 

The country is gearing up for legislative elections in April and a presidential election in July. 

In addition, "Indonesia's population of more than 220 million people is also a potential and vast market that will contribute to growth in the domestic demands," Zaldy said. 

Still, the expected growth in domestic orders is relatively low compared to last year's growth of 17 percent. 

On orders related to imports and exports, the industry may see zero growth, with a strong possibility of a descent into negative territory, as the impact of the global downturn peaks at the start of the second half of this year. 

"Exports orders have been declining since the October crisis, and most manufacturing companies are also reducing imports of raw materials because of the high costs," Zaldy said. 

Last week, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced that December exports had plunged 20 percent from a year earlier as overseas demand dwindled, emulating the declining trend in the last three months of 2008. 

Despite growing worries of mass layoffs this year, the ALI expects that absorbance of new employees will still grow by 3 to 5 percent, down from last year's figure of more than 10 percent. 

"We will still see some growth in employment because the logistics sector is very intensive in terms of workforce. Our workers range from truck drivers and warehouse operators, to laborers and other semi-skilled workers," Zaldy said. 

He added most of the jobs created would be for semi-skilled laborers, at a time when most firms were being more selective in hiring skilled laborers. 

To cope with the deepening global crisis, he went on, small logistics firms would consider merging. 

The logistics sector absorbs not only huge number of workers, but also contributes at least 20 percent to the country's GDP. 

Infrastructure is still considered the main challenge for the future growth of the industry. 

"What we need is adequate infrastructure that will ensure the fast and safe transportation of logistics," Zaldy said. 

Under a blueprint on national logistics, recently drafted by the Office of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, the government will speed up the development of the logistics industry. 

Among other things, the blueprint mandates the establishment of a Logistics Committee tasked with coordinating among related ministries, and the formulation of action plans. 

The blueprint will also lay down concrete efforts to make the industry more efficient and reduce logistics costs. (fmb)

Flooded roads around Johar market in Semarang

The Jakarta Post   |  Sun, 02/08/2009 3:17 PM  

Flooded market road: A woman keeps her feet dry aboard a pedicab after shopping at Johar market in Semarang on Sunday. Floods inundated roads around the Johar market, bringing the normally bustling market to a standstill. JP/Suherdjoko

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Floods inundate hundreds of Semarang houses 

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 02/08/2009 3:14 PM 
 

Hundreds of houses in Mangkang Kulon, Semarang, Central Java, were inundated by flood as heavy torrential rain poured over the city since Saturday evening, tempointeraktif.com reported Sunday. 

"We had to evacuate because our house went under water," Maulida, a resident of Kauman said, adding that Kauman was among the worst hit areas with flood waters reaching up to a meter. 

According to Maulida, the flood waters were a result of an overflow of Wetan River, which connects Semarang and Kendal. 

"The high of the flood waters increases annually. Last year the water level was as high as an adult's stomach," he said, adding that this year's flood were the hight of an adult's chest. 

He argued that the floods were a result of increasing forest to housing complex-conversions. 

"Most of the green zones and forrest in upper Semarang were converted into houses," he said.

Most parts of Semarang inundated, airport closed

Indonesian floods close airport, cause landslides

Money No Object For Streetcar One Desires

The Jakarta Globe, Dian Ariffahmi, February 6, 2009
 

A model poses beside a $568,000 Italian-made Lamborghini Gallardo during the opening of Lamborghini’s first outlet in Indonesia on Friday. (Photo: Jurnasyanto Sukarno, JG)
 

Where would you find a person who would splash out on a super-expensive luxury car in the middle of a world recession, perhaps by buying a Lamborghini with a maximum speed above 300 kilometers per hour, in an often-flooded, traffic-clogged megacity? Here, it seems. And someone is buying. 

The CEO of the Italian dream car’s local office, who on Friday officially opened the first showroom in Indonesia for the top-end sports car, seemed slightly embarrassed about the whole idea. 

“We are fully aware that this is not the right moment to open such a luxury vehicle showroom, amid the global downturn and the weakening of consumer purchasing power, but we have been preparing this for two years,” Lamborghini Indonesia chief operating officer Endy Kusumo said on Friday. 

He also said that the company believed that the Indonesian market was better off than the mar kets in Europe or North America. 

“There are some people [buying], although I cannot mention how many, their names or what kind of model they want,” he said of what must be an very elite line forming to purchase a “Lambo.” 

“A car like the Lamborghini has loyal fans, and that means its sales won’t be affected by the current global downturn,” Endy said. 

With an investment of around $1 million here, Lamborghini has set itself “a realistic target” to sell 12 units this year, he said. 

At the launch, Lamborghini introduced two of its six models — the 10-cylinder Gallardo LP560-4, which carries a price tag of $568,000, and the 12-cylinder Murcielago LP640, the car featured in the “Dark Knight” movie, which sells for $798,000. 

The Gallardo has a top speed of 325 kph and can reach 100 kph in just 3.7 seconds. The Murcielago tops out at 340 kph. 

But you can’t just pop in and drive one away. Lamborghini does not have cars in stock, and interested buyers must place an order and then wait about three months for delivery, Endy said. 

Endy noted that Indonesia already has 12 Lamborghini owners, but he did not give up any names. Owners, however, are believed to include a famous lawyer who already has a Ferrari in his garage, a wealthy patron of the arts and — not surprisingly — some rich businessmen. 

If you are in the market, the new showroom is on Jalan TB Simatupang in South Jakarta, near the showrooms for Ferrari and Porsche.

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Japanese firm seeks to take part in MRT

Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 02/07/2009 1:06 PM  

A Japanese company, Marubeni Tokyo, is looking at the possibility of bidding in the international tender for the city administration's mass rapid transit (MRT) project. 

"I have heard that Marubeni Tokyo is a big company with experience in MRT projects in many cities around the world, including Caracas *Venezuala*, Manila *the Philippines* and Taiwan," Governor Fauzi Bowo told reporters Friday after a meeting with an executive from the company, Singo Tsuda, at City Hall. 

"It's good to know they are interested in the project," he said, adding that the administration would consider the offer. 

He said 10 companies would be invited to the table for the tender for the MRT project. "We assume they *those companies* have good technical and managerial abilities to take part in the tender,." 

Although the basic design of the project has not been finished yet, Fauzi said he planned to establish a tender committee. 

"We have held discussions with the central government, including the transportation minister, to accelerate the start of the MRT," he said. 

Earlier, PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (MRTJ) head Eddi Santosa said construction would commence by early 2010 after the completion of land acquisition this year. 

The administration needs about 4 hectares for the route from Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta. The route is expected to be completed by 2014. 

The city administration has allocated Rp 40 billion (US$3.5 million) from this year's budget to acquire land for the depot and construction of the depot.

Fire guts Bounty cruise warehouse

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 02/07/2009 1:11 PM  |  Bali 

Fire engulfed parts of a warehouse belonging to the Bounty cruise ship company at Benoa Port in Denpasar on Friday morning. 

The fire damaged two storage rooms that held two huge tanks of water and diesel, but no casualties were reported. 

Benoa Marine Police chief Adj. Comr. Gusti Ayu Putu Suwinaci said the fire was extinguished before it spread to a larger room nearby and a ship under construction. The fire was put out with the help of neighboring company PT Jaya Kota and port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo). Ayu said four fire engines came late to the scene to find that the fire had already been tamed. Firefighters were helped by a machine that sucked up seawater from Jaya Kota into a tank that would normally have been used to water ornamental plants at the port. 

"We do not know the source of the fire yet, as the investigation is still underway. When I arrived, the fire erupted from the roof of the middle room where the water tank was kept," she said. 

The storage tank of diesel, which would have spread the fire, was still intact and its storage room only had major damage to its roof. The middle room that kept some gasoline and a water tank was destroyed, while the larger room that kept aluminum materials only had minor damage on its roof. 

Bounty owner, I Gde Wiratha, who is also the chairman of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he could not yet estimate the total loss. 

"I wonder what caused the fire; maybe an electricity surge or a lit cigarette? But that zone is a nonsmoking area," he said. He arrived at the scene in the afternoon after the blaze was put out. 

He said the blaze taught him to immediately provide a special hydrant that was suitable for such a situation. 

"It's a wake-up call for us, for not having a special hydrant," he said, adding that a currently available hydrant was not supported by an adequate water supply. 

His wife, Yeni Wiratha, said she was grateful for the quick response that prevented the fire spreading to other buildings. 

"It's indeed proof that God still protects us," she said.

Community demands bike lanes

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 02/06/2009 10:51 AM  

The Bike to Work (B2W) community urged the city administration to finally implement its delayed plan to create bicycle lanes along main thoroughfares this year. 

“We will continue to push the administration to build the lanes,” said B2W chairman Toto Soegito. 

I want to ride my bicycle: Students of the state elementary school in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, look at rows of bicycles in their school yard Thursday. The bikes, donated by state oil and gas company Pertamina, is part of the Bike for School program organized by several NGOs. (JP/R.Berto Wedhatama)

“We expect them to be finished by the end of the year. The pilot project should have been completed last December.

“We have talked to the relevant agencies and they said bureaucracy had hampered the plan.”

The city administration has planned to build a 3-kilometer lane connecting Suropati Park and the National Monument (Monas), both in Central Jakarta, as a pilot project.

It will also build another lane connecting Blok M, Jl. Sudirman and the Sudirman Central Business District area. 

Nirwono Joga, consultant to the city parks agency on the matter, said the plan was impeded by internal politics within the administration.

“The project has been delayed because the deputy governor has not yet to approved the project, although the governor has agreed,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“We will begin building the lane and complete it within two months, as soon as we have the approval.”

He said the lane would not require major construction, as the lane would occupy part of the existing pedestrian lane. 

Furthermore, B2W recommends the construction of lanes along riverbanks, Toto said. “Building lanes along riverbanks is feasible and would not disturb traffic.”

As part of the bike campaign, B2W, along with the Indonesian School Bike Community (SSI) and several other organizations, donated 100 bicycles to several elementary and junior high schools across the city Thursday.

The recipient schools will now select students to lend the bicycles to, prioritizing the underprivileged and those who live far from school.

The aim of the donation, carried out under the Bicycle for School program, is to encourage students to ride bicycles as a healthy and environmentally friendly transportation alternative, said the head of the program, Danang Caksono.

“We hope the donation will help underprivileged families who cannot afford transportation costs for their children to go to school,” Danang said Petamburan state elementary school in Central Jakarta.

The program will donate 10,000  bicycles across the country.

Mayor snaps into action after rebuke

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 02/06/2009 9:09 AM  

Mayor’s command post: Two civil servants wait in a tent erected to serve as an office for Central Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni at National Monument Park on Thursday. (JP/Agnes Winarti)

Central Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni has snapped into action in the past few days, cleaning up National Monument (Monas) Park, replanting grass and repaving pedestrian walkways, a week after she was berated for incompetence following an inspection of the park by Jakarta’s governor. 

After being publicly embarrassed by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo for failing to maintain the park, the mayor, who is known colloquially as 1981 None (Miss) Jakarta beauty pageant Sylvi, promptly assigned her subordinates to set up a tent to serve as a temporary office in the park Tuesday.

“We only have two weeks to restore the park,” Sylvi said, referring to the governor’s deadline set last Thursday.

Fauzi told Sylviana he was tired of empty promises about her plans to clean up the park. “Present your plan to someone else. I am tired of it,” Fauzi said.

He warned that he would make a random inspection of the park, and threatened her with demotion should he not be satisfied with what he saw.

The Jakarta Post observed Thursday that the monument had been given a major face-lift.

“A major restoration is underway; the pedestrian walkways have been improved, the gutters have been dredged and even the dead grass has been replaced with new grass,” said one of the park gardeners.

“Madam mayor was here on Tuesday. She also came here on Wednesday, from around 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to inspect the park with her subordinates.”

“But then they all returned to their office.”

The mayor also conducted a clean up of the park. She has said her team will place 200 garbage bins in the park and dig 1,000 biopores — holes bored into the ground to absorb rainfall and prevent flooding — within its 80 hectares.

When asked whether she intended to work from the tent, Sylviana said, “I definitely will drop by.”

“The tent is useful to avoid being caught in the rain during my inspections.”

She said the tent served as a meeting room for her and the officials of 13 agencies including the park, sanitation, husbandry, forestry, tourism and culture and public order agencies.

Two other tents were also erected in the park Thursday. The tents are each furnished with a large TV set, a fan, a water dispenser, long tables and benches.

A park officer said the two tents belonged to Harianto Boejuri, head of the city’s public order agency.

Two civil servants from the city’s social agency were seen carrying a blue carpet into one of the tents.

“Madam Mayor asked us to replace the white floor of the tent with  blue carpet so that it won’t look so dirty,” the officer said.

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Bike to school

The Jakarta Post   |  Thu, 02/05/2009 9:34 PM  

 

 
 Students check out 100 bicycles state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has given to their elementary school. The company distributed 1,300 bicycles to schools in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and East Java to help keep students in school by bypassing transportation costs with the use of bicycles. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama) 

Karen AgustiawanTakes Reins at Pertamina

The Jakarta Globe,  5 February 2009 

Karen Agustiawan speaks with reporters after her appointment is announced. (Photo: Crack Palinggi, Reuters)

Pertamina executive Karen Agustiawan has been appointed president director of the state-owned oil and gas company, the government announced Thursday. 

Karen has been working as Pertamina’s upstream director. She is joined by Omar S. Anwar as vice president director, PT Pertamina, replacing Ari Soemarno and Iin Arifin Takhyan. 

"Karen will be an excellent Pertamina director," said Sofyan Djalil, the state minister for state-owned enterprises. "They will make a good team. She knows the technical part while Omar knows the business part." 

The company's management had been criticized over fuel shortages in recent weeks. A massive fire last month at Pertamina's biggest fuel depot added to the cascade of negative comments, including some from lawmakers. 

Karen has previously worked at Halliburton Indonesia. She is Pertamina's first female head.

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Motorists fool police to escape 3-in-1 policy

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/04/2009 10:09 AM   

Police are finding it difficult to enforce the three-in-one zone policy during rush hour as private car users evade being ticketed by using trickery.  

Besides using traffic jockeys — people who they pick up to allow their vehicles to enter restricted zones — car users have another trick up their sleaves: dolls. 

“I once caught two people in a private car at Hotel Indonesia traffic circle using a doll seated in the car to look as if they carried three passengers,” said a police officer patrolling Senayan traffic circle in South Jakarta on Monday. 

“I warned them that they had broken the three-in-one rule, but they just laughed,” said the officer, who asked to remain anonymous. 

Under the three-in-one rule, enacted in 1994, private cars must have at least three passengers to travel along main thoroughfares from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta during weekdays from 7 a.m to 10 a.m and from 4 p.m to 7 p.m to ease traffic congestion in the city. 

However, the rule encourages people to serve as traffic jockeys as most of private car users have less than three people on board. Traffic jockeys are usually paid between Rp 10,000 and Rp 20,000, sometimes more, per ride. 

Traffic police officers patrolling three-in-one zones said they could not stop the violators one by one to ticket them or simply give them warnings. 

“We are not only responsible for monitoring the implementation of the three-in-one policy, but also ensuring that the traffic along this street runs smoothly,” said First Insp. Suprapto, who also patrolled around the Senayan traffic circle. 

Another officer patrolling the Harmoni intersection in Central Jakarta, Brig. Rahmadi, concurred. He said that he could only monitor what he saw.  

He said traffic police were often “kind and wise enough to let the three-in-one violators go. 

“We don’t always ticket them Most of the time, we only warn them and hope they will not do it again,” he said, adding that there could be more than ten violators a day. 

He complained that the violators usually got irritated when they were scolded by police officers.

“You know...that is typical of Jakarta riders. They know they are wrong, but they get angry when we rebuke them.”

Transjakarta busway corridor VIII launch set for Feb.14

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/04/2009 4:11 PM  

Transjakarta busway corridor VIII connecting Lebak Bulus and Harmoni will launch services on Feb. 14, said Hendah Sunugroho, the city's head of road transportation. 

Coorridor VIII, serving passengers from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Harmoni, the Central Jakarta busway nexus, is expected to offer a speedy commuter alternative through the heavily trafficked areas of Pasar Jumat, Pondok Indah and Tomang Raya. 

Hendah told tempointeraktif.com Wednesday his office would repair all damaged infrastructure, including busway lane dividers and shelters, ahead of the operation. 

"The transportation agency has allocated Rp 15 billion (US$1.3 million) for the revamp but we have yet to receive the funds," he said, adding his office was now working on dividers damaged from the heavy rainfall. 

The city administration has delayed operating busway corridor VIII several times, citing lack of funds. (ewd)

City fines drivers who deny public fare cuts

Agnes Winarti, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Tue, 02/03/2009 11:20 AM  

A long line of public minivans are parked at Kampung Melayu station in East Jakarta in this file photo. The administrationsaid it would punish drivers who failed to lower their fares following the gubernatorial decree to cut fares byRp 500. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

The minibus assistant rudely shoved another Rp 1,000 bill into the hand of a female passenger waiting for her change. 

But he only did so after the passenger asked him to. 

“Bang (brother),” she said, “hasn’t the fare already been reduced?” 

Similar scenes were still appearing across the city Monday, a week after the city administration ruled for an Rp 500 (4 US cents) cut in public transportation fares. 

The driver of a minibus traveling between Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta and Casablanca in South Jakarta, Dedy, said he had reasons for maintaining the higher fare. 

“There should be a governor decree specifically stating a reduction in the daily fee we have to pay our employers,” he said, Dedy said it was difficult for him to reduce fares because his employer maintained his daily fee of Rp 247,500. 

Last week, the Jakarta chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) agreed to lower the fees they collected from drivers to allow for fare cuts. 

“All transportation owners will reduce the fee they collect from drivers by 20 percent,” Organda Jakarta secretary TR Panjaitan said. 

“That means, if a driver pays Rp 200,000 each day to his bus owner, he now only needs to pay Rp 160,000,” Panjaitan said. 

“All owners are obliged to do this so their drivers can earn slightly bigger margins. 

“However, many public buses in Jakarta are not displaying copies of gubernatorial decree issued on Jan. 27, in contrast to when fares were increased in May last year. 

Last year, many minibus and minivan drivers instantly stuck up copies of the decree in their vehicles. 

The city transportation agency ticketed 69 public buses of various sizes Monday for not complying with the fare cut. And six drivers were suspended for incomplete documents. 

“We will keep performing the raids until all public bus drivers apply the cut,” land transportation division head at the city transportation agency, Henda Sunugroho, told The Jakarta Post on Monday. 

“We are placing officers at bus terminals in the five municipalities,” Henda said. 

“When a bus arrives, we ask passengers how much they were charged. We then immediately ticket violating drivers. 

Drivers caught violating the decree will have to settle the matter at the district court. 

“We will act on all public reports, as long as the public provides enough information, including bus registration number, route and time the violation took place.”  

The public can report violations through the city transportation agency hotline (021) 3457471. The public can also dial Organda Jakarta hotline on (021) 43900464 or fax (021) 4203357. 

As for taxis, Organda head Herry Rotti told the Post that fares would remain the same.

“We met with all our members [taxi operators] about three weeks ago. We decided not to cut taxi fares,” he said Monday. 

In December, the City Council proposed Organda reduce taxi fares in line with the fuel price cuts. 

Currently, taxis apply one of two rates — “lower tariff” or “higher tariff”. Low-rate taxis charge a flagfall of Rp 5,000 and Rp 2,500 per kilometer, while other taxis charge Rp 6,000 and Rp 3,000 per kilometer. 

The rates were decided by Organda in June last year after the government increased the price of Premium gasoline from Rp 4,500 to Rp 6,000.

Dial 113 to call firefighters

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/03/2009 3:38 PM  

It was 1974. 

Firefighters at the South Jakarta municipal fire station received a call: A chemical factory at Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, was on fire. 

Sarmadji, now 55, one of the fire unit drivers was sent to the scene, said, "The ships at the port's docks were also caught in the wild fire. 

"We had a hard time finding a water source even though water was everywhere," Sarmadji said. 

"But we couldn't use saltwater because it could damage the pump and fire engine," said the man who has been serving for 36 years and will retire next year. 

The firefighters finally managed to extinguish the blaze at the chemical factory after fighting for nearly one full day, or 22 hours. 

That was only one of many hardships faced by firefighters throughout the city, Sarmadji said. 

"If there are not enough hydrants nearby, we have to find the closest river or other water sources and go back and forth for water," he said. 

One fire engine can hold between 4,000 and 10,000 liters of water, said Kaspul Arman, head of Jagakarsa team at South Jakarta's fire department. 

The 4,000-liter supply could last for 15 minutes depending on the pressure applied to spray water. 

The fire fighters usually work from 11 a.m. until 9 a.m. the next day. 

"We are used to working 24 hours," Sarmadji said. 

Another story about a callout to a blaze: "This time a fireworks factory in Tangerang. It was in 1978, I think," Sarmadji said. "The fire took 115 lives." 

The factory's door was too small, it was the only door, and it opened inward, not out. This problem caused most of the casualties as more than a hundred people jammed in the door trying to escape the inferno. 

Simple things like the size of a door and the direction the door opens are crucial for fire safety. 

Kaspul said some other obstacles for fire included people flocking to watch the fire, looking for water sources and locked residential portals. 

He had one crucial message. 

Not many people know the fire brigade's number to dial in case of fire, he said. 

"It's 113. Anytime you see a smoke coming out of a building, one thing should pop into your mind: Dial 113," he smiled. (iwp)

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Jakarta's 47 fires in January cost Rp 10.6 billion

Clean canals could reduce flooding by 40%: Expert

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/02/2009 4:05 PM  

Dredging Jakarta's rivers and canals could reduce flooding in the city by 40 percent, an expert from the Netherlands says. 

"Only by dredging them will we be able to reduce the effect of flooding by 40 percent," Peter Vroege told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview. 

Vroege leads a team of Dutch experts assisting the city administration's efforts to dredge Kali Mati and Kali Pademangan canals in North Jakarta. 

"Most Jakarta rivers and canals have silted up by up to 50 percent *of their original depths*," Vroege said, quoting a 2007 study by the city's river management body and Dutch experts under the Partners for Water program. 

According to the study, Jakarta has 18 main canals and over 500 smaller canals that are 2 to 15 meters in width. The study estimates that the city's network of canals has become silted up with 9 million cubic meters of sediment and waste. 

The city administration said the city's canal network performed only at 50 to 70 percent of its capacity. 

The system can accommodate a maximum of 50 millimeters of rainfall in a day. However, daily rainfall exceeding that amount is not uncommon during the rainy season. 

Vroege said the canals should be dredged regularly. 

"In Holland, the canals are dredged once every five or 10 years.*But*how frequent the dredging is will depend on whether people stop throwing garbage into the canals," he said. 

"That's why the administration needs to establish a better waste system and keep*reminding the people*not to throw away garbage into canals." 

City Public Works Agency head Budi Widiantoro said his office had removed 350 cubic meters of mud from the Kali Mati and Pademangan canals, which it then dumped into a nearby swamp in Ancol, also in North Jakarta. 

"After the two canals, we will *prioritize to* dredging the canals in Utan Kayu in East Jakarta, Kebon Bawang in North Jakarta and Krukut Bawah in Tanah Abang and Rawa Kerbau in Cempaka Putih, both in Central Jakarta," he said. 

Budi said that this year the administration had allocated Rp 1.5 billion (US$133,928) for dredging medium-size canals, including Kali Mati and Kali Pademangan. 

The administration has also earmarked Rp 200 billion to dredge Ciliwung River, which runs through Manggarai, Gunung Sahari and Gajah Mada. 

"We will start that in May," he added. 

The administration is also awaiting the disbursement of a World Bank loan worth US$150 million from the central government as part of a project to dredge 18 key drainage canals and retention basins. 

Of the loan, $5 million is allocated for procuring heavy equipment, and the rest is for operational expenses.

Russian fighter

The Jakarta Post  |  Mon, 02/02/2009 3:43 PM 

 

 

Russian fighter: Officials from the Defense Ministry and the Indonesian Military (TNI) inspect a Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30 fighting plane upon its arrival in Makassar on Monday. The fighter plane was handed over to the Indonesian Air Force and will be stationed in Makassar to strengthen Squadron 11. The squadron currently has seven fighting jets, and will have 10 by the end of the year. JP/Andi Hajramurni

Jakarta's 47 fires in January cost Rp 10.6 billion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 02/01/2009 6:26 PM  

Forty-seven fires broke out across the city in January, claiming 11 lives and causing Rp 10.6 billion in property damages, the city fire department said Sunday. 

“Seventy percent of the total fires occurred in residential areas, while 30 percent were at high-rises,” said the head of the department, Paimin Napitupulu. 

West Jakarta saw the most fires with 15 cases, followed by South Jakarta, Central Jakarta and North Jakarta with 10, 9 and 8 cases respectively. East Jakarta only saw five cases. 

“Most of the fires were caused by short circuits,” he told beritajakarta.com. 

Last year, the department recorded 819 fires, killing 14 and causing Rp 228.6 billion in losses. 

Paimin warned building managements, especially those of high-rises,  to comply with fire safety standards. 

“Currently, out of the 1,100 high-rises throughout the city, 10 to 15 percent have failed to equip themselves with proper fire safety systems,” he said. 

“In mid-February, I will summon the owners of buildings that have substandard fire safety systems.

“We will impose stern penalties on them .”