We agree with the minister that such poor condition at an international airport -the main gateway for foreign visitors entering Indonesia - gives a bad impression of the country. It is regrettable that the airport management has failed to fix these basic, unnecessary problems such as cleanliness.

"It's a pity. Indonesia is not a poor country and we have many smart people, so why is Soekarno-Hatta's Terminal I in such a mess?" Freddy was quoted by this newspaper as saying when he conducted impromptu visit to the airport earlier this week.

"Next time, the toilets must be better and cleaner because they will give a bad impression *to foreigners* of the country."

Yes, it is a pity that we fail to deal with such basic problems. Cleanliness of the airport should no longer be an issue. It should be a routine job for the management - as part of the basic services - that should not be ignored because there are more important things to do to upgrade the airport facilities, as have been done by neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Therefore, it is understandable that Freddy was so outraged that the airport authority had failed to carry out a routine job. However, he should not forget that he and the government are responsible for the upgrading of the airport, which is fast being left behind by airports in neighboring countries.

The first urgent task is to guarantee the smooth operation of the airport, especially during the rainy season. After a project to raise the toll roads heading to the airport in an attempt to avoid flooding, the government needs to think about how to prevent flooding on sections of the airport runways that have often disrupted flights.

Freddy also needs to facilitate the development of a railway line from Manggarai Station in South Jakarta to the airport, to try to help smooth the flow of people from the airport to the inner city. The project, originally scheduled for completion this year, still faces financial problems that Freddy needs to resolve.

Another important thing that needs his serious attention is the smooth development of Terminal III at Soekarno-Hatta, which is expected to be fully completed in 2020. The terminal, whose first phase went into operation in April this year, is designed to have five piers to anticipate increased flight frequency to and from the airport.

So, Minister Freddy, you deserve to express your disappointment to the Soekarno-Hatta airport authorities for their failure to provide good services to the visitors because they are under your supervision. But the public will also monitor your moves to make sure you are capable of dealing with all these tasks to improve various facilities to support the smooth operation of the airport. And therefore it is fair if the public also gets angry at you if you fail to do your job.

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