Organda wants security monitoring power

Tighter security: A public minivan serving the Tanah Abang-Kebayoran Lama route passes through Slipi in Central Jakarta in this photo file taken on May 26, 2008. The Jakarta chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) requested on Friday that it be given the authority to monitoring security on public transportation. The Jakarta chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) requested on Friday that it be given the authority to monitoring security on public transportation.

“We plan to form a security work unit. We will help monitor [public transportation security] if the administration allows it,” Organda Jakarta chapter chairman Sudirman said, as quoted by tempo.co.

“We have never had any legal power to help owners [of public transportation],” he said.

According to Sudirman, the weak regulation of public transportations was a contributing factor to the several recent incidents of rape in public vehicles, especially minivans.

Owners of public minivans, he said, were not professionally educated and were only interested in making money. Most drivers rented the minivans and had to pay a daily fee. The drivers made money from the remainder of their daily incomes instead of receiving a monthly salary.

The city administration said it would start to enforce a 2003 Transportation Ministry decree on public transportation on Jan. 9 to curb crime on public minivans, which has been on the rise over the past few months.

The latest incident saw RS, a vegetable vendor, raped on Wednesday by four men onboard an M26 minivan at 3 a.m. The minivan’s driver was allegedly unlicensed and had borrowed the van, which ordinarily plied the Bekasi-Kampung Melayu route. (awd)