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Ahok orders police to arrest residents attempting to block garbage trucks
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has ordered police to arrest residents that attempt to block trucks transporting garbage from Jakarta to a waste treatment facility in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, West Java on Wednesday.
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Garbage trucks line up to dump garbage at the Bantar Gebang waste treatment facility in Bekasi, West Java. (Wartakota via tribunnews.com /Ichwan Chasan)
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Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has ordered police to arrest residents that attempt to block trucks transporting garbage from Jakarta to a waste treatment facility in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, West Java on Wednesday.
“The temporary solution is for the sanitation agency to report the people to the police. Tell police to arrest them,” Ahok said, as reported by kompas.com on Thursday.
Hundreds of residents blocked on Wednesday garbage trucks in response to a third warning on June 21 by the Jakarta Sanitation Agency to two operators of the waste treatment facilities in Bandar Gebang: PT Godang Tua Jaya (GTJ) and PT Navigat Organic Energy Indonesia. Four garbage trucks from Jakarta were blocked by the residents. The trucks were prevented from entering the garbage treatment facility.
Another reason of the blockage was that the volume of garbage from Jakarta had reached more than 2,000 ton per day.
Ahok said the companies had not complained about the amount of garbage sent to the Bantar Gebang waste treatment facility. “The people either want to rebel against the government or they just want to defend Gondang Tua Jaya. Don’t be a thug. The state will never be defeated by thugs,” he said.
The Jakarta administration has long been dissatisfied with the performance of the two waste treatment operators. With the third warning letter, the administration wants to end its cooperation with the two companies.
The companies rejected the city administration’s decision and hired lawyers, including former law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra to challenge the decision.
Ahok questioned the move by the residents, saying that for years, the residents did not oppose the waste treatment in Bantar Gebang when it was handled by PT GTJ. “My question is, are they defending the government or GTJ?”, the governor added.
Jakarta reportedly produces 7,000 ton of garbage per day. The city had long planned to construct its own garbage treatment facility, but the plan failed to be materialized. Therefore, Jakarta still relies on its neighboring city to treat garbage. (bbn)
