EEMS |
24th April 2007
The German Frankurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported yesterday that Rachmat Witoelar, the Indonesian Environment Minister, had mooted a temporary ban on new car sales to reduce ‘unbearable’ urban air pollution in the country, a policy which if enacted with the consent of fellow cabinet ministers, would constitute a world first, and might be problematical for other members of the ASEAN trading bloc.
“If we do not act now, we will soon have more cars and motorcycles than inhabitants. A ban on car sales would be tough medicine, but necessary for public health,” said the minister, while admitting that such a ban would put thousands of jobs in jeopardy, but at the same time noting that noxious emissions from road traffic in Indonesia exceeded those from the country’s industries.
Indonesia has, however, according to the German paper’s report, a population of 214 million people, and a vehicle population of just 2.5 million cars, 3.8m powered two-wheelers, and only 255,000 buses, many of these latter being of an advanced age. Some 34,000 new cars were registered in March this year, representing market growth of 42% year on year, following the lowering of new car purchase taxes in Indonesia.
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