Democracy is still far from materialized in Indonesia if you still can see traffic congestions.
3 weeks ago, my boss went to Manila to attend an ADB conference on energy. Back from Manila he told me about a great key note from a former Major of Bogota. He is an expert in transportation and he succeeded in turning Bogota from crowded and full of traffic congestions city into a well organized city (or metropolitan maybe?).
He mentioned that the more democratic a country is, the better she treats the citizens, including in transportation sector. Transport sector is build using public money therefore everyone in the country has the right to use the facility. Road for example, is build using public money. The less democratic a country is, the more unjust the use of public transportation facility and the result is traffic congestions. Many developing countries with less developed democracy suffer from traffic congestions. Cars are filling the road and cannot move. Cars that are owned by rich class of the citizen use up the facility. No space is left for the poor. He mentioned an important sign of democracy (especially in transport sector) is when one can find many people walking comfortably. Walking is the available for everybody. Whether you are rich or poor you can always walk. Walkers friendly city is a sign of developed democracy.
So, when you look at Jakarta you can be sure that Jakarta i.e. Indonesia is not yet at that level. Democracy is still far. So, please let's not hoping so much on next year's election ya?
23 June 2008
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I agree on the argument, that a country's transportation system and its functionality may be a sufficient indicator on how democratic this country is. Infrastructure, as a public good may be accessed by everyone under the same conditions. This should also be valid for public transportation. Hence, theoretically, everyone should be able to afford public transportation. And if necessary, public transportation needs to be subsidised, maybe financed by governmental tax income. In conclusion, it may be a sign of democracy, if you have space on the sidewalk, but this is probably only because most of the people in democratic countries can afford the public transport system. Taking the car, the bus or walking....it is about having the choice!
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