A Jakarta Post article today threatens to make Unspun optimistic because it proclaims, in bad metaphor, in its headline that “Sutiyoso riding the brakes on three-in-one.” Unspun, who, like the thousands of Jakarta motorists has had to fume in worsening traffic jams in the city was elated with this news.

The first paragraph of the story also gave cause for optimism. It said that Sutiyoso “conceeded that the three-in-one policy was an ineffective means of controlling traffi, hinting it might soon be reevaluated.”

Unspun was estatic and perused the article with loving care: can it be that the absolutely stupid policy that causes inconvenience to everyone, is totally ineffective in mitigating traffic jams andwhose only benefit is to the policemen (who can demand bribes from errant drivers) and jockeys (who can demand up to Rp15,000 for each car they jockey into the 3-in-1 zone).

Then came the disappointment. The story did not live up to the promise of the headline and the intro. What emerged was only that Sutiyoso blamed the police for poor law enforcement and motorists’ lack of discipline for the failure of the 3-in-1 policy.

Where was the hint? Why weren’t the police asked what they thought of Sutiyoso blaming them for poor law enforcement (which is, BTW, totally accurate, especially the part about “traffic police can be slow to act when drivers ignore the no-parking or the no-stopping bus signs.”

Once more we have seen the venerable Jakarta Post indulging in shoddy journalism by by coming up with conclusions that are not supported by its own reporting ad failing to hold the authorities accountable. When, oh when, will it learn?

The pity is that the competition English-language daily, The Point, is still so disorganized that its editorial content is all over the place while its distribution is inalmost no place that any mildly interested would be reader can buy a copy of. Why, oh why, do people pour good money and come up with newsprint that is fit only for the kacang seller?