[Kabar-indonesia] 5 Jakarta Reports: New turnpikes widen gap between rich and poor

[Joyo at aol.com]

5 articles:

- Study says new turnpikes would widen gap between
  rich and poor

- Jakarta, Bekasi to extend Bantargebang  agreement

- Pollution of mussel farms makes  shells of men

- Students learning from nature

- 'Playboy' proceeds to prosecution

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, July 1, 2006

Study says new turnpikes would widen gap between rich
and poor

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A study on the economic impact of building six new
inner-city turnpikes has fleshed out the reality of
the income gap between the rich and the poor.

The results of the study by Trisakti University
economist Budi Santoso, which were made public Friday,
showed wealthy people would get extra revenue of 0.2
percent from each rupiah invested in the project,
while poor people would gain 0.0095 percent.

The study took wealthy people to be those with a
monthly income of more than Rp 21 million (US$2,234)
and the poor to be those earning less than Rp 800,000
a month.

"The Jakarta administration is trying to push through
the inner-city turnpikes project but it will only be
advantageous for a certain group," Budi told The
Jakarta Post.

The study used social accounting metrics to calculate
the benefits of levying tolls on road use for people
in different income brackets.

The administration categorized residents into 10
groups, from people on Rp 21 million and over to
people earning less than Rp 800,000 a month.

Budi said the economic impacts of building more
turnpikes included faster access for private car
owners, to reduced spending on spare parts and fuel.

"However, commuters would be stuck using heavily
congested roads with no tolls," he said.

Despite criticism from urban planners, transportation
experts and environmentalists, the administration is
determined to press ahead with the construction of six
turnpikes linking Bekasi-Kalimalang-Kampung Melayu;
Ulujami-Tanah Abang; Kampung Melayu-Tomang; Pasar
Minggu-Casablanca; Kemayoran-Kampung Melayu and
Sunter-Pulo Gebang to help reduce traffic congestion.

The total investment required to build the 85
kilometers of roads would be about Rp 23 trillion, or
Rp 270 billion a kilometer. The project was offered to
investors during the Infrastructure Summit in Jakarta
last year.

Budi said the project would provide significant
benefits for investors and other sectors, including
the automotive and banking industries.

"It's a golden business opportunity, they (investors)
just can't resist all that easy money. The big
question is, where do the city administration's
allegiances lie, with the people or certain groups?"

Green activists are dead against the idea of building
more turnpikes, saying it would only convince people
to drive themselves to work, rather than commute.

They said the increasing number of private cars on the
road would worsen traffic congestion and air pollution
in Jakarta, the world's most polluted city after
Mexico and Bangkok.

The administration is prioritizing the development of
an integrated transportation system to encourage
people to leave their cars at home and take the bus,
the train, the monorail or the MRT. The latter two of
which are not built yet.

In 2004, at least 2.5 million private cars and 3.8
million motorcycles traversed the city streets every
day, compared to 255,000 units of public
transportation.

The administration expects the number of private cars
on the road to increase by 12 percent a year, which
would far outweigh the number of roads being built. It
predicts complete gridlock by 2014, if steps are not
taken to improve the situation.

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, July 1, 2006       

Jakarta, Bekasi to extend Bantargebang agreement

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the Jakarta administration has yet to establish
high-technology waste management facilities in the
capital, it is a relief to know that the neighboring
Bekasi administration is still allowing the city to
use its land as a dump.

But this time the Bekasi administration has made it
clear that Jakarta must repair the damaged
infrastructure and environment in and around the
Bantargebang dump.

"The Jakarta administration should restore the
environment and help prevent garbage-borne diseases in
the community," Bekasi Mayor Akhmad Zurfaih was quoted
by Antara as saying Friday.

He said the agreement between the two administrations
-- which will end on July 17 -- clearly stated that
Jakarta was responsible for the dump's lye drainage,
garbage water management installation and
environmental protection.

For the past 17 years the Bantargebang dump has been
the main drop off point for Jakarta's garbage, with
about 6,000 tons of garbage coming in every day. The
majority of the 125-hectare dump is located on land
owned by the Jakarta administration, while only 17
hectares belongs to Bekasi.

But the sanitary landfill garbage management applied
at the dump has taken its toll on the environment, and
the health of people living nearby.

In an effort to reduce Jakarta's dependence on
Bantargebang dump, the administration has begun
studies on establishing high technology garbage dumps
in each of the capital's five municipalities.

However, Jakarta Sanitation Agency head Rama Boedi
said Wednesday the new dumps could never accommodate
all of Jakarta's garbage.

"Bantargebang will never be replaced, but it will also
not be the only one," he said, explaining that the new
dumps would only help reduce Bantargebang's load.

Recently a new agreement has been floated to push back
Jakarta's use of the 108-hectare Bantargebang dump by
another three years. And for this, Akhmad said, his
focus would be on spatial planning, environmental
repair and using state-of-the-art technology in
garbage management.

"I'm focusing on repairing the already damaged
environment. If we act too slowly, people living
around the dump might get diseases and that would be
Jakarta's responsibility," Akhmad said.

Presently, garbage management at Bantargebang is
handled by holding company PT Putera Bangkit Bekasi,
but the Jakarta administration is looking for new
firms to help introduce a more environmentally
friendly garbage management, including through
incinerating and composting waste.

Jakarta secretary Ritola Tasmaya said new firms needed
to be selected before the end of the year.

"We need to get moving as soon as possible."

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, July 1, 2006

Pollution of mussel farms makes shells of men

"One, two, three, heave!" men shout as they strain
against a wooden motor boat used to catch green
mussels just a few hours before.

Heading out at dawn from the beach in Kalibaru
subdistrict, Cilincing district, North Jakarta, the
fishermen return just after 11 a.m., bringing with
them the day's catch of slimy, mud-choked mussels.

"It's getting more difficult these days, fishermen
have to travel farther to catch mussels," neighborhood
association head Bowo Lesmana said.

Most of the neighborhood's 97 families are dependent
on the bounty of Jakarta Bay, but pollution from
nearby factories and garbage collecting on the beach
has killed off local mussel farms and pushed back
mussel-rich areas.

Off the boats, the green mussels are carried in sacks
and dumped on concrete floors where women quickly
pluck them off the mud and clean them in water.

With the mounds of mussels to clean off, the women
divide their attention between their work and their
babies, who are left inside makeshift batik cloth
swings overhead.

Small mussels are separated from the larger ones, and
all are boiled inside metal drums over a fire, before
being sold in auctions at the market.

"The men get at least Rp 16,000 each on slow days.
Which is often these days," Bowo said, explaining that
on rainy days and during gales, the fishermen stayed
home to mend their nets.

Many young men of the community eventually follow in
the footsteps of their parents, but with diminishing
ocean resources many more are looking for work
elsewhere.

However, with unemployment as high as 30 percent, and
the people's level of education seldom higher than
elementary level, the future of the community's youth
looks bleak.

-- Text and photos by Tantri Yuliandini

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, July 1, 2006

Students learning from nature

Intan Ismawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid criticism over the national education system,
under which students who do not pass the final
examination do not graduate, an inner-city elementary
school is turning to nature for answers.

State Elementary School No. 12 in Bendungan Hilir,
Central Jakarta, is among 11 state schools on Java
island piloting a program called Adiwiyata, which was
initiated by the National Education Ministry and the
State Ministry for the Environment.

The program integrates formal subjects with gardening
and other outdoor pursuits.

"This program shows the school is concerned about
creating a healthy environment for its students," said
the head of the Jakarta Basic Education Agency, Sylvia
Murni, during the launch of the program Friday.

In the program, students will take an active part in
environmentally friendly activities, ranging from the
efficient use of electricity to recycled paper
production.

A deputy state minister at the State Ministry for the
Environment, Sudariyono, said the program would tie in
with related subjects like science.

"For example, students might go on an excursion to a
waste management facility," he told The Jakarta Post.

Bulb producer General Electrics (GE) is funding the
program at five of the elementary schools, including
the Bendungan Hilir school.

"The students' genuine interest in environmental
issues is the main reason why we are supporting the
program," said N. Hasto Kristiyono, the head of the GE
Volunteers who will be assisting with the program at
the school.

The school already runs a Clean Fridays program, which
keeps students busy picking up rubbish in the
schoolyard for an hour every Friday.

"The program teaches students not to litter,"
fifth-grade teacher Paryono said.

New students are also required to plant seedlings,
which they must take care of until they leave the
school.

"I enjoy the program because I love gardening and have
my own pot of flowers at school", said third grader
Yuki.

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The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, July 1, 2006

'Playboy' proceeds to prosecution

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Police investigators will soon submit the
Playboy Indonesia case file to prosecutors, following
the status of the magazine's chief editor and two
models being changed from witness to suspect.

"We have named three suspects. We have completed our
investigation and will submit the case file to the
prosecutor's office on Monday," city police chief
Insp. Gen. Adang Firman said Friday.

The magazine's chief editor, Erwin Arnada, and two
models who posed in its first edition in April,
Kartika Oktaviani Gunawan and Andara Early, were
charged with violating the Criminal Code on indecency.

Police launched an investigation into the magazine in
response to a lawsuit filed by a group called the
Indonesian Anti-Piracy and Pornography Society (MAPPI)
on April 7.

The group reported Erwin, Kartika, Andara,
photographer Oke Gani and director Ponti Carolus for
indecency. The last two people, however, were not
named suspects.

Although many people considered the magazine's content
tame, even by the standards of cheesecake tabloids
here, MAPPI contended it was pornographic and would
contribute to the moral debauchery of the younger
generation.

The police said it had consulted experts on language,
religion, culture and journalism before opening the
probe into the magazine.

Playboy will be the first case taken into court amid
controversy over the antipornography bill, which is
currently being deliberated at the House of
Representatives.

Last year, actor and model Anjasmara and model Izabela
Jahja, who appeared nude in an artwork displayed at
the CP Biennale exhibition, received unwelcome
attention from radical groups.

The Islam Defenders Front, which filed a lawsuit
against them, dropped all charges after Anjasmara
publicly apologized to the public.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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