People rights sought in traffic bill

Mustaqim Adamrah ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 02/29/2008 11:56 AM  |  City

Transportation experts called on lawmakers Thursday to prioritize public rights during legislation of a bill on traffic and road-based transportation.

Harya Setyaka of the Indonesian Transportation Society said House of Representatives lawmakers needed to include more provisions to guarantee people's rights.

"The draft bill still does not clearly specify the legal standing of the public regarding their rights, including their rights to safety and affordable public vehicle fares," he said.

Ironically, he said, lawmakers had otherwise strictly regulated delegation of authority among stakeholders.

"Articles saying mayors are in charge of inner-city public transportation, while governors and ministers control intercity public transportation, are very strong compared to what the draft law states in regards to the public," said Harya.

He also said the bill should guarantee businesses freedom from fees in obtaining their route licenses.

"Transportation fares would be high if route licenses were subject to taxes," he said.

"High transportation fares, coupled with high taxes imposed on every newly bought vehicle, will burden the public."

Those running public transportation businesses should be given tax incentives, he said.

Concerning other public interests, University of Indonesia-based transportation expert Bambang Susantono said lawmakers had to include provisions on safety standards in the draft bill.

"People's safety must be guaranteed when they ride a public vehicle," he said.

He said the draft bill must also include provisions regulating penalties, like fines and prison terms, for those violating safety procedures.

Bambang said the bill should also stipulate the establishment of a commission supervising road-based public transportation safety.

"This future commission should involve many stakeholders, including those in the insurance sector," he said.

In order to enforce the bill strictly, he said, lawmakers should find a way to involve the public, too.

It would be better to have a complaint center that gathered information from the public and pursued their complaints, said Bambang.

"Such a mechanism involving the public can guarantee law enforcement," he said.

Harya said the House had delayed the bill's deliberation since 2005 due to ongoing discussions of other "prioritized bills".

A member of the House's Commission V overseeing transportation, Abdullah Azwar Annas, said lawmakers were yet to discuss the bill, which will replace the 1992 law on traffic, pending completion of the shipping bill.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.