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MERAK - Hundreds of frustrated truck drivers have been stranded for several days on the road to the Indonesian port city of Merak, the Jakarta Globe reported Sunday.
About a hundred police officers were dispatched on Saturday to calm the situation, which is allegedly caused by a shortage of ferries making the crossing to Lampung province. The government had to dispatch ferries to help clear the backlog, which officials said would take at least five days, since only 14 of the 33 ships are working.
Local residents were reportedly seen bringing food to the tired drivers stuck in the 12-kilometer traffic jam. Some of the drivers reportedly resorted to selling some of their cargo to buy food and drink, while perishable goods like fruit and vegetables have rotted.
"The government is being irresponsible because the gridlock in Merak happens every year," Sofyan Wanandi, chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. "If the government can't manage the ports, leave it to the private sector or open up competition."
Indonesia's Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo acknowledged on Friday that poor infrastructure was hampering the government's target of 7 percent growth by 2014, as reported by the Jakarta Globe. "So far, infrastructure development has not progressed as expected," he said. "There are a lot of public-private partnership programs that don't work."
This year, the transportation budget is set at $4.95 billion, lower than the budget for defense, social welfare and food and energy subsidies. Indonesia was ranked 75th in the World Bank's recent Logistics Performance Index, below neighboring Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
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