Tuesday was a big day for Indonesians. It was the day Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was sworn in as President for a second term - only this time he teams up with former Bank Indonesia governor Boediono, who replaces the outgoing Jusuf Kalla.
The Rp 300 million (US$30,500) ceremony was aired live on television and radio and people immediately updated their statuses on Facebook and Twitter. Some praised the powerful duo, hoping the situation will improve. Some expressed hope that the pair would keep their campaign promises in check.
But many cursed the inauguration ceremony for making them miserable.... in traffic. One of my colleagues suggested that yesterday should have been declared a holiday so that people wouldn't have to deal with the congestion.
Others suggested skipping work, at least until after lunch. Others helped direct their friends through alternative roads, while those already stuck in the jam could do nothing but curse.
Although the police announced Sunday that traffic along the roads encircling the House of Representatives' compound would be rerouted from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., many did not have any other choice but to bear the congestion as their offices are located in the Senayan area. The chaotic traffic was not only seen along the inner city toll road passing the House compound, but also in other alternative access routes such as Bendungan Hilir, Pondok Indah and Pakubuwono.
Worse still, those traveling through the Jagorawi toll road had to abandon their cars for about an hour as the President's motorcade passed from his private residence in Cikeas to the House in Senayan - which is about 40 kilometers in distance. Did the President realize that every time he travels from Cikeas, he creates congestion? Of course Yudhoyono never bears the brunt of traffic chaos. After all, he is always escorted by the police and presidential guards wherever and whenever he goes. In his early days in office five years ago, the President's motorcade caused accidents on the toll road that claimed the lives of two people.
Perhaps, it is the best time for the next finance minister to allocate money from the 2010 state budget to purchase a presidential helicopter as one way to help ease traffic whenever the President wants to travel back and forth from the palace to his home.
But if public resistance is high, perhaps the Defense Ministry could take a small portion from its Rp 41 trillion budget to help the Air Force upgrade one of its choppers. Oops, but maybe Yudhoyono won't have the balls to get into the helicopter, considering that many aging military helicopters and aircraft crashed this year, killing dozens of soldiers.
Another question worth asking is: Has Yudhoyono ever counted the number of emissions released from the exhaust pipes of cars during such traffic jams? Although Yudhoyono has already reminded world leaders not to forget the serious impacts of climate change amid the global economic downturn, Indonesians have yet to see his actions.
Has he ever traveled to Jakarta's suburbs other than Cikeas to find damaged roads? Infrastructure has been a priority since his first term, but nothing much has changed - except the Suramadu bridge linking Surabaya and Madura in East Java.
Having a second chance, no wonder his constituents and Indonesians in general, have high hopes for Yudhoyono. As a President with a very good image on the international stage, we also want to see the President do something significant for the people, but his compromise with political parties in naming Cabinet members has begun to make his constituents question his seriousness in making Indonesia a better country.
His first five years were okay, but not excellent, and given that his campaign slogan during the presidential election was "Lanjutkan" (continue), be prepared to continue facing the same problems.
- Primastuti Handayani
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