Complaints PO Box gets good public response<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two weeks after being launched, the post office
\nbox set up by the city administration to receive complaints about
\nthe illegal activities of city employees has received 150
\nletters, an official said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Deputy governor for development affairs Abdul Kahfi said the
\nteam which was set up to handle letters addressed to PO Box 0008,
\nJakarta 10900, would soon begin to question officials named in
\nthe complaints.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the letters complained about corruption, extortion,
\ncollusion and nepotism which was being practiced by our
\nofficials,\" he told reporters.<\/p>\n
However, only 15 percent of the letters received could be used
\nin his team's investigations because they had been submitted with
\nthe complete address of the senders, he said.<\/p>\n
The remaining letters could not be used because none of the
\nsenders were willing to put their full name and address on their
\ncomplaints, he added.<\/p>\n
Kahfi refused to disclose the exact number or identities of
\nthe officials facing investigation.<\/p>\n
\"The majority of the officials (accused in the letters) are
\nalleged to have demanded illegal levies from members of the
\npublic,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the final results of the team's investigation would
\nnot be made available to the public.<\/p>\n
\"What is the benefit of exposing the officials. The important
\nthing is for us to investigate the allegations and impose the
\nproper sanctions on those who are found guilty,\" Kahfi said.<\/p>\n
The special mail box was officially launched on June 24 by
\nJakarta Governor Sutiyoso as part of the administration's efforts
\nto implement massive reforms to improve the quality of the city's
\npublic services.<\/p>\n
\"People can freely report their complaints to us but they must
\nput their name, address, and full details of their allegations,
\nincluding the name and office of the corrupt officials, on any
\ncorrespondence they send to us\" said Kahfi, who leads the so-
\ncalled Reform Control and Supervision Team.<\/p>\n
The administration had guaranteed that all complaints
\nsubmitted will be treated in full confidentiality, he added.<\/p>\n
Cheating<\/p>\n
Kahfi's decision to focus only on complaints which include the
\nsenders full name and address and ignore anonymous letters was
\nstrongly criticized by city councilors.<\/p>\n
A senior councilor from the United Development Party faction,
\nSaud Rahman, accused the administration of trying to conceal the
\ndarker side to its office.<\/p>\n
\"All reports must be investigated thoroughly and the results
\nmade available to the public.<\/p>\n
Retaining the results of investigations within the
\nadministration is the same as freezing the cases and cheating the
\npublic,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Saud said the commission should not have ignored the remaining
\ncomplaints just because the senders did not provide their full
\nname and address.<\/p>\n
\"The bottom line here is that we have to investigate all
\ncomplaints, regardless of who submitted them.<\/p>\n
The senders might have deliberately concealed their identity
\nto guard themselves against further harassment from the corrupt
\nofficials,\" he added.<\/p>\n
A representative from the Golkar faction, Amarullah Asbah,
\ndemanded that Kahfi and his team act in a more transparent
\nmanner.<\/p>\n
\"Revealing malfeasance to the public is a must. No benefit can
\nbe gained from hiding it because the public have already known
\nwhat the situation is... administration officials are
\nnotoriously corrupt and all Jakarta's citizens know that,\" he
\nsaid. (cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/complaints-po-box-gets-good-public-response-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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