50% of Telkom's pay phones damaged

JAKARTA (JP): About 50 percent of the 48,100 public phones in Greater Jakarta are malfunctioning, an official said yesterday.

The official from state-owned telecommunications firm PT Telkom told The Jakarta Post that records indicated 24,100 public phones, including those with card facilities, could no longer be used due to vandalism.

"Some of the phones are badly damaged, with either the handset or the whole unit stolen. In many cases there is gum, palm fronds or even thin steel wire found inside the phones," the official, who asked for anonymity, said.

He blamed the vandalism on a lack of awareness about the need to maintain public facilities.

"I believe public phones are indispensable as a means of communication for the public so I don't know why there are always irresponsible people who wreck them."

PT Telkom's public phone unit, which is responsible for managing and collecting money from booths throughout Greater Jakarta, conducts routine checks every second day, he said.

"In crowded areas, such as malls, bars or entertainment spots, where public phones are always busy, the routine check is conducted every day."

But it is impossible to ensure complete supervision of all phones because of the great distances and lack of staff, he added.

Another official, Pudjo Basuki, head of the city's Post, Tourism and Telecommunications Office, was also disturbed by acts of vandalism.

"To date, the municipality still doesn't have a cure for this kind of destructive behavior," Pudjo said. "Public phones are badly needed to enhance the city's tourist image.

"It's embarrassing for a city as big as Jakarta to have minimum public facilities. Phones are needed for people who cannot afford to install phones in their houses."

Pudjo lamented people's lack of awareness about using public phones.

"What if there's a fire or an accident? If the nearest public phones are out of order, people are forced to walk far away to find one. The fire may well have razed everything by then."

In response to claims that students were to blame for vandalism, Hadis Hadianegara, a spokesman for the city's education and cultural office, said he doubted the validity of such suggestions.

"I believe that well-informed students will not vandalize public phones. If there are cases (of vandalism), it must have been perpetrated by jobless people or dropouts," he said.

Hadis said that all school principals in Jakarta have held programs to teach students about the use of public facilities.

"So I think every student now knows how to use it well."

Zumrotin, a member of the executive board of Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI), told the Post yesterday that poor maintenance and management was also to blame for broken phones, not just vandalism.

"I don't think vandalism is the main factor behind the poor condition of public phones. People already have higher awareness and skills when it comes to using public facilities. After all, we have used phones for quite some time now."

She said the extensive use of public phones meant Telkom has already reaped sufficient profits from them.

"Therefore, I think Telkom must improve its management, especially in the control and supervision of public phones." (07)