Consumers should refuse SEA Games donation stickers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta consumers should refuse to pay for SEA
\nGames donation stickers now that the decree authorizing sticker
\nsales in the municipality has expired, Governor Surjadi Soedirdja
\nsaid yesterday.<\/p>\n
He was commenting on the fact that bills for this month sent
\nby city-owned water company PAM Jaya included an item for the SEA
\ndonation, even though the decree expired Monday.<\/p>\n
\"According to regulations, they can't do this. People should
\nrefuse to pay,\" Surjadi told reporters at City Hall.<\/p>\n
He said that for the collection to be legal, the decree would
\nneed to be extended, and so far he has not made any decision
\nabout its extension.<\/p>\n
\"Up until now, I haven't made any decisions. Just wait,\"
\nSurjadi said.<\/p>\n
An official from the consortium responsible for sticker sales
\nsaid yesterday they had asked the governor to extend the decree,
\nbut had not received a response.<\/p>\n
\"It's up to the municipality,\" Titus Sumardi of the consortium
\ncompany PT Angkasa Ronagraha said.<\/p>\n
He said the consortium had not received reports on the amount
\nof money collected from state-owned telephone company PT Telkom
\nor state-owned electricity company PLN.<\/p>\n
\"It doesn't mean there's anything wrong. Each company has its
\nown procedures,\" he said.<\/p>\n
SEA sticker sales are authorized at a national level by a
\nPresidential decree and a Ministry of Social Services decree.
\nThese allow a consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's son
\nBambang Trihatmodjo, to raise funds to help finance the October
\nbiennial regional event held in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the sticker sales were covered by a gubernatorial
\ndecree issued by Surjadi on Feb. 26, which expired Monday.<\/p>\n
The gubernatorial decree requires the consortium to report to
\nthe governor every month on the amount of money raised from
\nsticker sales.<\/p>\n
Under this decree, SEA donations were sought from people
\napplying for drivers' licenses, vehicle registration, building
\npermits, site plans and land documents, and artesian well
\nlicenses. Donations were also sought from shopping center
\ncustomers, as well as airport, hotel, restaurant, and
\nrecreational and entertainment center customers.<\/p>\n
The stickers sold for between Rp 1,000 and Rp 50,000 each.<\/p>\n
\"We only targeted people who could afford the donation,\"
\npresident-director of the consortium company, Soeparno K., said.<\/p>\n
Titus said the consortium had raised Rp 1.3 billion (US$4.2
\nmillion) from sticker sales in Jakarta and Rp 2 billion
\nthroughout the country overall, far less than the anticipated Rp
\n35 billion needed to help finance the Rp 100 billion games.<\/p>\n
Titus said many provinces had asked to postpone sticker sales
\nuntil after the May 29 general election.<\/p>\n
\"It's difficult because each administration has its own
\npolicy,\" Titus said.<\/p>\n
Titus said he would convey complaints from people who had paid
\nfor stickers, but not received them, to relevant government
\nagencies.<\/p>\n
\"Sticker sales are based on their policies, not ours. We trust
\nthem,\" Titus said.<\/p>\n
Many customers have complained to the Indonesian Consumers
\nFoundation about SEA Games donations being tacked on to mobile
\nphone, telephone, water and electricity bills.<\/p>\n
A recent survey by the foundation found that 98 percent of
\nmobile phone owners questioned objected to paying the donation.
\n(ste)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/consumers-should-refuse-sea-games-donation-stickers-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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