Brokers barred from ID card process

Brokers barred from ID card process

JAKARTA (JP): A deputy governor said yesterday the
administration will no longer permit brokers to help people
applying for ID cards, and asked all mayoralty and district
officials to improve their services to the public.

"I do not want to hear any more news about illegal levies and
irresponsible service bureaus in connection with the issuance of
ID cards," Idroes, the deputy governor for administrative
affairs, said. He was referring to recent reports on the high
costs involved in the ID issuance process in the East Jakarta
mayoralty.

The city administration does not recognize any brokers in
issuing ID cards, Idroes said when installing the new deputy
mayor for East Jakarta, Andi Mappaganty, and the secretary,
Chalid Ismail Balaw.

Mappaganty, a former mayoralty secretary, replaced Edi Tarmidi
who moved to the municipal bureau for village social development.
Chalid, former assistant to the mayoralty secretary, replaced
Mappaganty.

Idroes said the issue of illegal levies could erode public
trust in the municipal administration.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja was enraged last month by a local
newspaper report about ID card issuance fees in East Jakarta,
which was said to range between Rp 500,000 (US$211) and Rp 2
million.

In a further development, East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono said he
has investigated the reports.

"The report on brokerage of ID cards issuance, which was said
to charge fees of Rp 2 million, was not true," Sudarsono said.

He said last week that he was not offended by such a report,
and thanked reporters for any bad news.

"Bad news, which I do not get from my subordinates, actually
functions like a whip, pushing officials to provide better
services to the public," said Sudarsono.

The official fee for one ID card is Rp 1,000. For first-time
applicants, however, a transport warranty fee is added, which
charges them for coming to Jakarta and returning to their
original provinces.

According to the administration regulation, someone coming
from Irian Jaya for example, has to pay a Rp 320,000 warranty fee
for the city ID card.

A source who refused to be identified told The Jakarta Post
yesterday that the city administration will change the policy on
the ID card issuance fee.

He said the fee, the amount of which is to be decided later,
will replace the transport warranty fee.

"According to the new regulation, the fee amount to be paid by
Jakarta ID card applicants is not based on where they come from.
Every applicant will pay the same amount," he added.

So far, the charge to ID card applicants varies, depending on
the distance of their hometowns from Jakarta. Theoretically, the
money should be returned to the applicants after they receive
their IDs. However, no applicants have received their money back,
and there have been no reports on where the money goes. (kod)