'Social workers' make money from damaged roads<\/p>\n
By Kafil Yamin<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): For most people, potholes in the road are a
\nmajor annoyance as you drive around them to avoid breaking an
\naxle or chassis. To others, however, they are not so much an
\nirritant as a way of making something resembling a meager income.<\/p>\n
These people are more aggravating than the potholes
\nthemselves. For you must quickly hit the brakes to avoid them as
\nthey bend forward proffering charity boxes in several spots of
\nthe road that are damaged. It is futile getting mad because these
\nstreet collectors are so concerned about the state of the roads
\nthat they fervently collect money from passing motorists to fix
\nthe damaged areas.<\/p>\n
Pass through damaged spot where the boys -- none of them are
\nof the opposite sex -- are collecting and take note of the road
\ndamage. A couple of months later, pass the same spot and the
\ndamage, you will see, is still there and there are no signs of it
\nbeing repaired.<\/p>\n
It is not instantly clear why these street fund-raisers are so
\ncommonplace nowadays. Everyday, drivers encounter them at
\nannoying spots and give coins of Rp 100 or more. Drivers on the
\nroad all day perhaps shell out more than Rp 5,000, on top of
\nparking fees.<\/p>\n
It is not the money that matters so much to motorists. Not
\nonly do the fund-raisers take the comfort out of driving, they
\ncreate a frustrating situation on the streets, frequently causing
\naccidents.<\/p>\n
\"They do not hesitate to come forward with their charity
\nboxes, and I have to immediately hit the brakes to avoid hitting
\nthem,\" said Deden, who drives from Margaasih to Rancaekek every
\nday, and once ran into one of the fund-raisers with his car.<\/p>\n
He is aware of road damage in several spots, but knows the
\nmoney raised from passing vehicles is not used to fix the roads.
\n\"After more than three months, the damage is still there,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Lately, fund-raising has been taking place at areas other than
\non damaged roads. Some \"social workers\", who do not have the good
\nfortune of living near damaged roads, think of other ways to make
\nmoney. Ever ingenious, they have come up with the idea of
\nthrowing sand and soil onto the road so that it looks damaged.
\nThen they collect the cash.<\/p>\n
In many parts of the outskirts Bandung, drivers find hundreds
\nof these kind of spots. Fasten your seat belts, as the artificial
\nand genuinely damaged roads lead to a bumpy ride indeed.<\/p>\n
You may think this is all there is to road extortion, but alas
\nthere is more. For there are still other ways to make a quick
\nbuck.<\/p>\n
Others construct fund-raising booths, to be used to collect
\nmoney for the construction of mosques. Or so they say. Charity
\nboxes are held up to passing motorists, and drivers \"donate\"
\nanything from Rp 500 to Rp 1,000, wrongfully thinking they are
\ndoing their part as good Muslims.<\/p>\n
\"Please give us some money. Allah will repay your charity many
\ntimes over!\" they says through loudspeakers.<\/p>\n
Don't be surprised, however, if after a few months, the
\nconstruction of some of the mosques has not yet begun.<\/p>\n
A street fund-raiser in Utama village, Aep Hendrayana, after
\nrefusing to say anything about his work, confessed to having
\ndamaged the road in his neighborhood. He also admitted that he
\nshared the money with his fellow fund-raisers.<\/p>\n
\"It's just enough to buy the butts of cigarettes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that he did it because he had no job and that he took
\nturns raising money with his friends. As he put it: \"Things are
\narranged fairly ... we do not force drivers to give money,\" he
\nsaid, justifying his actions.<\/p>\n
But, for some, extortion money from motorists is fun. \"We do
\nit together and enjoy it. If you can make easy money, why not?\"
\nsaid Gunadi, a road collector in Kiaraconding district. He said
\nno one cared and bothered him when he was on the street.<\/p>\n
Not even the local administration.<\/p>\n
The reluctance of officials to do something about street fund-
\nraising is due to their limited authority. The public works
\nministry, which oversees road maintenance, thinks community
\ninitiatives should be taken to end the hindrance.<\/p>\n
Many of the fund-raising activities are illegal and run by
\npreman (hoodlums), but the public works office leaves it to the
\npolice to deal with.<\/p>\n
\"The problem arising from the activities are traffic
\ncongestion and disruption. We don't deal with such matters,\" an
\nofficial of the Bandung public works office told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
The police, however, turn a blind eye to the activities of the
\nhoodlums. \"It's up to the community to fix damaged roads,\" said a
\npolice officer at Cimahi Police station. \"Wrongdoings and
\nmisbehavior should be handled by the local (village)
\nadministration\", he added.<\/p>\n
Drivers believe the police are unwilling to get involved as
\nthey can't make any money out of it. \"Why should the police be
\ninvolved with such poor fund-raisers, it even causes them a lot
\nof trouble,\" said Dzulkifli, a resident of the Margaasih housing
\ncomplex.<\/p>\n
\"If two luxurious sedans, say a BMW and Mercedes, hit each
\nother, the police will soon arrive on the scene. Such an accident
\nbrings a windfall to them, but broke fund-raisers?\" he explained.<\/p>\n
And the village administration pays no attention either. \"It's
\nmuch better for them to collect money rather than to fight and
\nsteal,\" said Maman Suhendar, a village official.<\/p>\n
Local residents, however, are aware that some fund-raisers use
\nthe money to buy alcohol. After getting drunk, they often fight
\nand steal.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/social-workers-make-money-from-damaged-roads-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}