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I’m shocked. Gobsmacked really, when I saw on Metro TV that the head of Gaikindo proposed a tax reduction for private vehicles instead of a tax bump to increase the government’s tax revenue directly to the country’s Vice President. This was on Metro TV’s round-table discussion on the VP’s view of the global economic crisis that aired just moments ago tonight.

Okay, I understand how that would work. More people will be able to afford cars and bikes and thus fill up the government’s coffers more quickly from that sector.

However. That means more congestion and more pollution in this country! More people owning more cars when the government of Jakarta recently revealed that by 2014 the city will be covered in gridlock due to overcrowding of vehicles. Growth of car and motorcycle ownership has by far exceeded the growth of roads in this city and their ability to serve those vehicles. There’s just way too many roads that are sub-standard and unmaintained which lead to more damaged vehicles caused by bad roads and more accidents.

Instead of reducing motor vehicle taxes, why not impose an age limit to vehicles, say 10 or 15 years, before the owners have to pay a much more significant tax to keep the vehicle and make it easier for those owners to  purchase newer cars or bikes?

I realize that old doesn’t necessarily mean bad so if those owners can show that their cars are just as good as newer ones, they can get a tax break.

This way car dealerships will be able to sell more vehicles, meet their quota, people are able to own cars more easily and the number of vehicles on roads won’t rise as quickly because those older, less maintained cars and bikes won’t be crowding the streets! Those taxes would then be channeled to fix the ailing public transport system across the country.

*also applies to buses, trucks and any other road-based motor vehicles, publicly or privately owned.

Oh wait, I forgot this is Indonesia. Solutions that make sense rarely make it through and when they do there’s just so many red tapes and back play that it will end up much more complicated and convoluted to be practically applied.

*facepalm*

You wonder how  most people survive earning less than US$1000 a month and be considered as middle class

You wonder how even more people survive earning less than $100 a month

You then wonder how people who make a living from dodgy roadside “warung” can send their kids all the way to university

You also wonder why the city keeps building malls. They should call this place Jakarta Mall City. 18 years ago Pondok Indah Mall was one of only two high profile and up market malls in the city (yeah, malls in the city). The other was Plaza Indonesia. Ratu Plaza had burnt down back then IIRC and was yet to be rebuilt. Today, I pass a minimum of three malls or shopping centers to get there with one more being built in each direction

You wonder what the hell are those concrete pillars doing between Plaza Senayan and Senayan City and several more along Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan. They were supposed to be the start of the new monorail system but plans fell through. Reminds me of Shelbyville

You wonder why the transit authority keeps allowing new motorcycles to be registered each day when existing ones almost clog the roads, cause more accidents than car and owned and used by people who don’t even know how to ride them properly let alone have license

You wonder who buys those super ultra hyper expensive A++ segment apartments all over the city and how many people can afford them since new ones spring up from the ground every month and they keep getting more and more expensive

You wonder why the hell do foreigners get paid at minimum 5 times the rate they pay the locals when many don’t seem to be any more qualified to do the job

You wonder why they didn’t build mass transport system all the way back in the 70’s or even 80’s when there were not so many people and vehicles

You wonder why they didn’t move the capital elsewhere so as to avoid the madness of having the city as the center of the country with all official central government business mixed up with trade and entertainment industries.

You wonder why there are not enough cops in this city of 12 million people and why they are not paid enough

You finally wonder why are you reading this post instead of doing something about it?

1. Almost started a magazine when I came back to Indonesia a few years ago.
After finishing my school time in Melbourne, I came back to Indonesia in 2005 and was planning to start a lifestyle magazine. It was going to be called Juice and the company was to be called Media One. Guess what? Juice already existed internationally. Locally it’s published by a company called Media Satu. *facepalm* I found out a month later while hanging out at a friend’s restaurant at PIM2.

2. People used to think I was a design student
Back in Melbourne I used to do freelance design for business cards and event posters. People were convinced I was a design student and they would come up to my girlfriend telling her that I was. I studied marketing and economics, not design. Even now people still occasionally ask me to to cards. Not having done design much in over a year I’ve lost my touch.

3. A scar on my hand reminded me of a painful past
Yeah, that was a pun. I accidentally cut open my left palm while trying to open a bag of floss with a knife. It was inside a sheath and my left hand was on the under side. I passed out from shock and losing so much blood and still can’t remember anything until I returned from the hospital. I remember dad taking me to the receptionist of the resort but nothing else until I was back at the resort with my left hand covered in thick bandage. We were on the first day of a week-long family holiday and boy did I ruin it. Grandpa was so angry at my mom for not watching over me he had a stroke that lasted until he died years later. I still think it was my fault. Sorry gramps, mom.

4. I called my ex-boss blind for being a moron that I thought he was. Turned out he was worse.
I quit my first real job since returning from Australia after only 4 months and turned down a big raise because of a negative work environment. A month later he saw me outside his new place and started giving me this talk. I wasn’t interested in talking to him and wanted to leave but he kept yapping so I told him the real reason behind my resignation and called him blind for not seeing what was really going on in his company before I left. Earlier in my letter I toned down my reasons so as to make it as polite as possible.

Months later I found out that the company was the way it was because of his management practices, not because of the people around him. I genuinely thought he was a good guy. Not one person who’ve left since had anything good to say about him or wanted to mention him.

5. I was almost an athlete
Back in primary school I was scouted by swimming coaches who wanted to put me in the national program. Having to wake up at 3 and train for two hours everyday before school put me off. I used to be a long distance swimmer doing 15 x 100 meter laps per session twice a week.

6. I’m hating Brett right now for putting me up to this
Really. Thinking of 10 things about myself to share with people IS NOT EASY!!! I’ve actually been thinking about it since I saw Leonnie tagging people for it some time ago so I didn’t just start this today.

7. I couldn’t pronounce the letter R until I was in 8th grade
No kiddin’. I still can’t do a hard roll R.

8. I wanted a Mac since I was in 8th grade
A summer school trip to the US introduced me to Macs and I’ve wanted to have one from that moment. I told dad I wanted a PowerBook for high school because school required each student to have a notebook. He bought me a Toshiba Portegé P90 because they were both gray. *facepalm*. I forgive you dad. Glad you’re a Mac user now.

9. I still call Australia home
Born in Indonesia means absolutely nothing to me. I don’t even really belong to any of the local ethnic groups. I’m a mixed Chinese, Arab, Indian, with a bit of Javanese thrown in. Brought up in a liberally oriented household by conservative parents (go figure), and grew up largely overseas, I find Indonesia far too limiting and discriminative. Working my way out of here. Having spent nearly 10 years in Australia, despite ridiculing its policies and culture (lack of?) as well as seeing plenty of moronic racists, I find most of the people endearing and there’s not that many better places to live than Melbourne.

10. I don’t know how to potty train my daughter.
She’s 1 year old, still in diapers and refuses to sit down when doing her business.

I’m throwing this to @asil, @mastrosiani, @dirgayuza

Wishing for an iPhone 3G to arrive so I can tumbl my thoughts that are more than 140 characters 😛 Short, quick thoughts to Twitter, longer ones to tumblr.

Dirgayuza: Hmm… I have just met a Deakin uni computer science student whom said to me that he does not believe in selling softwares. Strange.
Aulia: @dirgayuza Software should be free. Make it buggy and then slug them on customer service and support! LOLZ
Aldy: @dirgayuza ask him if he believes in making money