Highway robbery?<\/p>\n
On Jan. 17, 2000, The Jakarta Post reported that the Jakarta
\nCity Administration has just spent Rp 1.2 billion to buy 60
\nGerman-made Melcher tear-gas pistols for its public order units.
\nRp 20 million per gun seemed like a lot, so I went to the
\nInternet, where the most expensive Melcher I could find cost
\nroughly the rupiah equivalent of Rp 6 million; mid-range Melchers
\nwere closer to Rp 4 million.<\/p>\n
The news report did mention that the price per gun includes
\nPolice Department license and training. Might that explain the
\nhigh mark-up on the guns? Is it cynical to think that there might
\nbe kickbacks lurking in the shadows of this deal? Does any
\nofficial care enough to investigate and retrieve any money that
\nmight have gone into private pockets during this transaction?<\/p>\n
This procurement perversion is another outrage perpetrated by
\nnotorious Jakarta officials upon the people. By my math, the
\namount spent on those guns could have paid the annual salaries of
\nat least 200 of the "brutal" persons the tear gas is destined to
\ndisable, some of whom may have been driven to street crime in the
\nfirst place by economic desperation.<\/p>\n
DONNA K. WOODWARD<\/p>\n
Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/highway-robbery-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }