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Issue of the day: Ahok recruits bus drivers with high salaries
Letâs roll: Dozens of new Swedish-made Scania buses are lined up at the National Monument (Monas) on June 22, 2015
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Letâs roll: Dozens of new Swedish-made Scania buses are lined up at the National Monument (Monas) on June 22, 2015. The new buses were procured to join the Transjakarta fleet. Jakarta Governor Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama wants to recruit more new drivers with a promise of high salaries and better service and safety.(JP/AWO) (Monas) on June 22, 2015. The new buses were procured to join the Transjakarta fleet. Jakarta Governor Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama wants to recruit more new drivers with a promise of high salaries and better service and safety.(JP/AWO)
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span class="caption">Let's roll: Dozens of new Swedish-made Scania buses are lined up at the National Monument (Monas) on June 22, 2015. The new buses were procured to join the Transjakarta fleet. Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama wants to recruit more new drivers with a promise of high salaries and better service and safety.(JP/AWO)
Jan. 5, 2015
Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama aims to recruit thousands of drivers for city-owned PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) buses by offering a salary of around Rp.9.3 million (US$666), as part of the capital's efforts to improve public transportation.
The city administration has opened recruitment for drivers and onboard personnel, with 6,000 spots as drivers available. The new drivers will be trained and receive a salary of between Rp 6.2 million, twice 2016 Jakarta's minimum wage of Rp 3.1 million, and Rp 9.3 million.
'If you work as an angkot [mini bus] driver or a truck driver would you get that amount? Just don't act insolent,' he said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.
Your comments:
The governor knows how to bargain, and to improve the Indonesian transportation system.
Hat off, Sir.
AnimisticGod
It sounds great. Good job and good salary. It's a much better job and salary than Istanbul bus drivers' income.
Tutkukap
It's a good job and salary. The minimum wage for Jakarta, announced in October 2015, was only Rp 3.1 million.
JLC
That's only half of what they pay in Singapore. There, starting pay is S$1,800 per month and from what I hear, that's only for the first three months. At today's exchange that is about Rp 17.5 million and more after the three-month probation. But, Indonesians are not allowed, they hire from China, Bangladesh and all over, not Indonesia. Why? Because we're too corrupt and maybe it will rub off on their locals.
I compared us to Singapore for two reasons: Because when I first went looking for a job in Singapore, we were far ahead, in everything. The rupiah was high and lots of rich Indonesians treated Singapore with disdain, cheap and good. Furthermore, I have a feeling that Ahok is using Singapore as a benchmark and trying very hard to play catch-up. For example, the salary of drivers and the buses that he wants
to buy (Mercedes, Scania, Volvo etc.).
Pauloh
So Ahok is saying the right thing but in the wrong/impolite way? This illustrates something that I've long noticed: Many, if not most, Indonesians tend to place more importance on the container rather than content, on form rather than substance.
But objectively, with all the 'polite' presidents you have had since 1948, the country is still one of the poorest in the world ' 118th out of 186 countries by nominal gross domestic product per capita (IMF 2015). The only president who tried to do something for the country and not for himself, Gus Dur, was not very polite but he was quickly removed by all the 'polite' representatives at the People's Consultative Assembly. Don't forget too what the other 'polite' people have done to the country ' soft (and polite) spoken personalities such as Anas, Lutfi Hassan, Akil Mochtar and Ratu Atut.
Since other things have failed, perhaps a bit of rudeness may be good for the country ' give it a try, you have nothing to lose.
Wandering Star
Why compare to Singapore? The living standard of the two countries is not the same. With half of Jakarta's population Singapore only needs a few buses because they have great public transportation, like the MRT trains that can get you close to any destination you want to go.
Snap
It sounds like a good plan. Hopefully a culture of safety first will be instilled among the drivers.
Randomthought
It is past time we stop being polite and do the right thing.
People like Sarpin, Suryadarma, Reza, Bakrie, OC Kaligis, and many of their friends and relatives whether foreign or local are very polite and nice but have done so much harm to Indonesia. Better your actions bring good but your words are foul rather than your actions be foul but words good.
Deddy K
