Associations oppose parking draft bylaw
JAKARTA (JP): Businesspeople grouped in several associations have vowed to bring the city administration and council to court, following Wednesday's enactment of a draft bylaw on parking affairs, an association executive said.
Speaking on behalf of two other associations, Stefanus Ridwan, chairman of the Indonesian Association of Shopping Complexes Management, said most of the groups' members opposed the draft bylaw. Stipulations that parking operators must share up to 35 percent of their income with the administration, and that a city governor permit will be necessary for the parking service were singled out as unfair measures.
"It's not fair if we have to share the income with the administration, as it has never held shares in the parking business," Stefanus told The Jakarta Post.
He said members of the Indonesian Retailers Association and the Indonesian Property Management Association also opposed the draft bylaw.
According to the three associations, the parking business comes under the umbrella of building services, and as such should not require a special permit.
The three associations have decided to bring the case to the Jakarta Administrative Court.
The council enacted the draft bylaw at a plenary session on Wednesday.
The bylaw stipulates that parking operators are required to obtain a gubernatorial permit and pay a 35 percent levy on their income for parking facilities in open spaces, 30 percent in buildings and 10 percent for buildings used only for parking.
Under the new bylaw, parking operators must also obtain the gubernatorial permit for free or paid parking facilities.
The bylaw regulates that parking operators at government-owned buildings, houses of worship and buildings or locations used for educational and social activities are not obliged to pay the new parking levy.
Tini Hadad from the Indonesian Consumers Association (YLKI) supported the move by the associations, claiming that the Jakarta council was unwilling to act on input received from other parties. She also said there had been little consultation with interest groups.
Tini said Wednesday's move by the council proved that the administration and the council had not taken into account YLKI's suggestions, and results of surveys and polls.
"We conducted surveys to help (the administration) obtain a picture of parking affairs in the city, but they did not appreciate it and have gone on with their decision," she told the Post.
Tini said the association had spent nearly Rp 10 million on the surveys and polling.
"What is most conspicuous here is that they do not listen to their people," she said.
Tini had earlier urged the administration to suspend the bylaw enactment until it could provide better parking management.
She also said city parking management body BP Parkir had no accurate data on several fundamental issues, such as the number of parking locations and spaces in the city. (ind)