People skeptical on decentralized driving license issuance<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
People are welcoming the police's plan to decentralize its
\nservices for the renewal of drivers' licenses, but they remain
\nskeptical that it will be successful in eliminating the use of
\nexpensive middlemen protected by corrupt police.<\/p>\n
"I welcome the transfer of the service to police precincts
\nfrom the central office in Daan Mogot (West Jakarta). However, I
\nam doubtful that it will be successful in curbing the practice of
\nmiddlemen unless police personnel improve their services to
\napplicants," said Erizal, 35, a taxi driver.<\/p>\n
He said the poor service was so slow it made him frustrated,
\nforcing him to eventually accept a middleman's offer to settle
\nthe paperwork.<\/p>\n
"And, you know, I obtained the license within an hour, while a
\nfriend of mine who had attempted to do it all by himself spent
\nfive days," he said.<\/p>\n
Starting Tuesday, police will decentralize the driving license
\nrenewal service to police precincts in the center, east and south
\nof Jakarta.<\/p>\n
There are six other precincts, namely North Jakarta, West
\nJakarta, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi and Bogor.<\/p>\n
The police plan to extend the services, not just for the
\nrenewal but also the issuance of new drivers' licenses, to the
\nother precincts, except for West Jakarta. It is still not known
\nwhen they will be ready to do so. The office in Daan Mogot will
\nstill serve residents of West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Suparno, 30, a motorcycle taxi driver from Mampang Prapatan,
\nSouth Jakarta, said the transfer might lessen crowds. "But, those
\nmiddlemen will still run their businesses if police still provide
\na poor service."<\/p>\n
The police service center in West Jakarta is notorious for its
\nlong queues, poor service and remote location. Middlemen operate
\nopenly and they aggressively offer their services to applicants.<\/p>\n
Many people prefer to hire middlemen to settle all
\nadministrative affairs, charging a "service charge" which is at
\ntimes double or more the official charge of Rp 52,500. The
\nmiddlemen's business is safe thanks to corrupt police personnel.<\/p>\n
There are about 700 applicants per day expected to use the
\nservice at every police precinct.<\/p>\n
However, the decentralization has not been widely publicized
\nand it may take time till the public are aware of the changes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-skeptical-on-decentralized-driving-license-issuance-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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