Yep, the putative leaders of the democratic metropolis of Jakarta are covering the streets with piles of waste and filling the airwaves with bullshit, yet I haven't read or heard that either of them is overly concerned with the lack of toilet facilities and sewage plants for the disposal of the effluvia expelled by some 80% of us.
So, my heading is crap. The candidates are merely pissing in the wind whilst the rest of us have to find the nearest tree like mongrel dogs.
But enough of politics.
Today the Jakarta Post has a couple of stories about toilets. Julia Suryakusuma makes an interesting point when she relates an anecdote about working for an urban-based NGO back in the early '80s. Visiting rural communities and building communal bathroom facilities as part of a Suharto era development programme, she and her colleagues wondered why the recipients of their largesse continued to use the local rivers for their daily needs.
Trying to understand the rationale for this, we urbanite NGO workers figured that, hmm, if you're used to bathing, washing and going to the toilet in a flowing river or stream, in the open air with greenery all around you, it would be pretty unpleasant, claustrophobic even, to sit in a closed or even semi-closed bathroom.
So it's all about encouraging 'good' habits. One such person who does is profiled today in the Post. Jack Lim is founder of the World Toilet Organisation, a much more noble institution than the other WTO. A seminal paper of his advocates a star-rating for public toilets. Indeed, more public toilets owners are recognising the marketing power of their toilets, which proves that well-managed toilets are not just welcomed by customers – they are also good for business.
The UK is currently holding its 19th (?) Annual Good Loo Awards. I have long advocated something similar here, and now perhaps it's time to organise.
How would you rate these?
Toilet Passed By
Toilet PresentLabels: environment, Jakarta
