Letter: Car-Free Day in Bogor

The local authority in Bogor, West Java, has applied a Car-Free Day policy on Jl. Jarak Harupat once a month. Jl. Harupat is the busiest T-junction and street in rush hour every day, including on weekends. I don’t see the benefit for the people yet; instead the traffic jams have switched to other roads and streets.

I think what we Indonesians need is a National Discipline Day: at schools and educational facilities, on the roads, in offices, correctional institutions, other public places including in the malls, at the police stations, etc.

If we try to observe the regulations at least once a month, hopefully we will do it more often. Perhaps our leaders will pave the way for national discipline by not showing off their privileges, except when it is really, really necessary for their security.

Ali Sadikin, when he was the Jakarta governor, showed that Jakartans could observe regulations and social manners: he made Jakartans proud to be Jakartans. Can the government and our lawmakers make us proud to be Indonesians?

Rosiana Budiman
Bogor, West Java