They say that the roads are a microcosm of the state of a society, a culture, and a nation. I was in Jakarta last week and I must say that their roads, the motorists and the commuters there generally reflect their state of well-being. As we are now in the midst of a transport crisis, one can only begin to envy our neighbors and wonder why, despite our cultural and social similarities, our situation is vastly so different from theirs. It would do well for us to once in a while take a glimpse and learn from our Asian neighbors.
Life on their roads says it all. Yes, the dreaded Jakarta traffic is still there and maybe even worse than what we have here. But their traffic moves. Vehicles fight for space just as wild as in Metro Manila, with motorcycle riders zipping past private cars and the “microlets”—their own version of our jeepneys. There is chaos but there is also order. For some reason there are fewer enforcers on the roads, yet I have not seen one accident or any altercation during my stay there. Everyone lines up on the road with no privileged ones with their “wang-wangs cutting lanes. Waiting sheds and bus stops may look less modern than some of the ones we have, but they are functional and fully utilized. There are street vendors but they hardly bother pedestrians. Even during their peak hours, there are no long lines of commuters. Trip schedules are kept. Lack of public transport is not an issue. The Trans Jakarta, the first BRT system in Southeast Asia that spans more than 251 kilometers, ferries more than a million passengers daily from all walks of life—local executives, expats, students and ordinary workers. Their LRT lines are being expanded to reach greater Jakarta and a subway line is being completed on schedule.
It would be easy to assume that Jakarta has more funds to spend for infrastructure and smart city solutions and therefore has managed their roads better than us. That is true. But it will not be fully right to just attribute their better mobility on more spending. There are other reasons. Take a look at their BRT. We had our BRT plans even before Jakarta’s; not just one but three BRT lines—Edsa, Quezon Avenue and Cebu City during the past three administrations. Money was not an issue and in fact we spent money already. Yet our transport regulators dilly-dallied for reasons more political than practical, and they opted for the more expensive yet less transport carriage modes that are yet to come. Also, public transport regulations make more sense. Public buses are government-owned but operated and maintained by the private sector, assuring commuters of better service as the government absorbs capital costs. Their more than 100 million motorcycles have front plates as required, but it’s not an issue. No smoke-belchers even if roadworthiness tests are not required. People move. Jakarta moves.
Indonesians take pride in their culture and history. The batik is worn in lieu of the suits and the ties. Bahasa is the lingua franca— spoken in political and business circles. Indonesian brands are not just protected but preferred. The good thing is, Filipinos are seen there with respect, with many corporate positions filled by our compatriots, unlike in other countries where we are discriminated.
We have always fancied ourselves as being the most western in Southeast Asia. But it only goes as far as that. Admittedly, our neighbors are doing something right and we have missed the turn that they took. While we have a huge P13 trillion debt, our neighbors including Indonesia are far from the danger zone. Indonesia, so similar to our geographical archipelagic set-up, is the 17th largest economy in the world. It is not late for us though and it may be even better that such realizations happen now.
In this age of de-globalization and geo-political realignments, it’s to our advantage that we have strong and robust neighbors that we can turn to. We can be and should be their economic partner, just like in ancient times. There is an ancient Javanese word—“Nusantara,” meaning one archipelago. As we have so much in common with our neighbors, it would not hurt to have that renewed outlook that we all belong to this one large archipelago that is Southeast Asia. Maybe then we can have the same road journey that the rest of our neighbors have long been taking.
The author may be reached at tmo45@georgetown.edu