Solutions for Efficient Logistics Transportation

MANY accidents involving large trucks occur frequently. We often see heavy-loaded trucks passing through toll roads, highways, and even city streets. On toll roads, with a minimum speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour, these heavy trucks struggle to move at low speeds, even when traffic is light. It is not surprising that many accidents occur when vehicles collide with the rear of these trucks, resulting in fatalities or severe injuries.

We also often hear about truck accidents caused by brake failures. Trucks with excessive loads certainly do not meet the design specifications for their braking systems. Due to the truck’s heavy mass, the braking system cannot effectively stop it, especially on downhill roads. This should be a concern of land transportation authorities.

Heavy trucks ply the southern section of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) emit thick exhaust fumes, especially when accelerating. With the congested traffic on this stretch, a truck may have to accelerate frequently. Such trucks should be subject to regular emission tests. Long-haul trucks also use this road. Ignoring the prohibition, many of them shift to the middle lane.

The southern JORR toll road passes through residential areas in South Jakarta, where exhaust fumes from heavy trucks cause significant pollution throughout the day. A vision of clear air is a rare sight in this area.

The Transportation Ministry should facilitate an efficient door-to-door logistics business model. Highways and toll roads should be prioritized for human traffic. Medium to long-distance logistics transport should not use highways and toll roads. Instead, logistics should utilize maritime and rail transport. Only in the final kilometers to the destination should logistics be transported using trucks. Such a business model is still considered expensive by entrepreneurs because a comprehensive system, along with established infrastructure, has not yet been developed. After all, we are a maritime nation, surrounded by oceans and islands.

If the government can facilitate this, it will benefit all parties involved. Logistics efficiency will be achieved, job opportunities will open up, road accidents will decrease, air pollution can be minimized, and highways will be more efficient for the movement of people.

Edwin Dewayana

South Jakarta

Teacher Allowances Still Pending

I AM a teacher at a private high school in Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra, with 28 years of service and certified status. Actually, for the period of January-June 2024, my professional allowance decree was issued on June 28, 2024. However, as of October 9, 2024, my allowance has not been disbursed, while my colleagues with the same certification have already received theirs.

The question is, does it take months for the disbursement of my certification allowance? I am just an ordinary teacher who does not understand government bureaucracy. However, I want to emphasize that there is no point in withholding or delaying the disbursement of teachers’ professional allowances. Without teachers, none of you would be able to become officials.

Zainal Abidin

Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra

Learning from China

ON October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed. At that time, China was a poor country with a population of 540 million and a per capita income of only 119 yuan or US$16. More than half of the economy was supported by the agricultural sector. After Deng Xiaoping led the economic reform in 1978, implementing a system known as socialist market economy, China’s economy grew rapidly. By 2023, China’s gross domestic product reached 126.058 trillion yuan, equivalent to 17 percent of the world’s economy. The country had become the second-largest economy in the world, after the United States.

China’s per capita income also skyrocketed to US$12,733, supported by the service industry, technology, and innovation sectors. China’s concept of freedom is to be free from poverty and hunger, and to live in prosperity and security from crime. Technological advancements and innovations have also been developed in agriculture, which originally served as the backbone of the economy. The agricultural sector has adopted new technologies, emphasizing the importance of science and technology in ensuring food security and promoting rural revitalization.

The contribution of advancements in agricultural science and technology reached 62.4 percent in 2022. A rice field is cultivated using modern technology, such as drones, which allows farmers to achieve higher incomes. This reduces cost on human labor. China has truly experienced a drastic and spectacular change from agricultural to an industrial country.

Indonesia is known as an agrarian country but has yet to achieve food self-sufficiency. The end of September 2024 edition of Tempo featured the President and the President-elect holding hoes to plant rice and sugarcane. It is indeed a beautiful dream. President Joko Widodo once proposed a food estate in Central Kalimantan but failed. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate project covering 1.2 million hectares in 2010, which also failed to achieve food self-sufficiency. Currently, a food estate spanning 2.29 million hectares in Merauke is being developed to achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2027.

A saying goes, “Do small things with great affection.” Indonesia is home to thousands of farmers spread across the archipelago. These farmers diligently and passionately work their rice fields and land, producing rice to meet at least their own needs.

I am confident that if all farmers unite, they will achieve food self-sufficiency. Thus, our food security will be strong and resilient. China’s transformation can serve as an example that hard work and integrity yield maximum results.

Kosmantono

Banyumas, Central Java