Fighting illegal levies<\/p>\n
Minister of Education and Culture Juwono Sudarsono has
\nexpressed his determination to put himself in the forefront in
\nthe fight to eradicate illegal levies. Such a resolution, of
\ncourse, is actually nothing new. Illegal, or additional levies
\nhave been a major public complaint since the beginning of the
\nformer New Order regime. All the same, the practice has continued
\nto be persistent. People are aware that illegal levies contribute
\nto our high-cost economy. Still, the practice remains ubiquitous
\nas it appears to have become a part of our subculture.<\/p>\n
Low civil service salaries are usually mentioned as the
\npretext for the practice. As monthly salaries are inadequate to
\ncover even a mere two weeks of living expenses, civil servants
\nare forced to take fees illicitly. Such \"humanitarian\"
\nconsideration are perhaps the reason why taking such fees is
\ncommonly accepted as normal. So widespread has the custom become
\nthat it has been said that no civil service exists in this
\ncountry, since every service has to be paid for.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, though, the resolve of our minister of education
\nstands a greater chance of success if the government shows
\ngreater transparency in its stated determination to eradicate
\ncorruption. If transparency is practiced in each and every
\nservice the government gives to the public -- for instance by
\nannouncing in detail the cost and time needed for people to
\nobtain a license -- this practice of illicitly asking for extra
\nfees can be reduced to a minimum. Such a campaign would be even
\nmore successful if people had the courage to be more demanding
\nand ask for a detailed explanation of the costs involved in
\ngetting whatever service they need.<\/p>\n
-- Suara Karya, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fighting-illegal-levies-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }