Car numbers hot commodity for some
Car numbers hot commodity for some
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Roaming around the city police headquarters's parking lot looking
for a friendly face, businessman Budi Darmawan, 40, stopped in
front of the traffic police building.
"I came here to change my license plate number to a two-digit
number. Hopefully, I can get an 88 number for my car. I just
asked the police how much I would have to pay for the number,"
Budi, a businessman, told The Jakarta Post.
He said he wanted the number because he thought it would bring
his business good luck.
Budi is not the only person eager to get a two-digit license
plate number, either for luck or prestige.
According to regulations, only high-ranking state officials,
including ministers and governors, are meant to receive two-digit
license plate numbers.
However, Indonesia Police Watch, a non-governmental
organization that monitors the police, says more and more
businesspeople are buying two-digit numbers.
The NGO said license plate numbers B92, B90, B80, B79, B99,
B88 and B68 had been sold to businesspeople for up to hundreds of
millions of rupiah.
Indonesia Police Watch head Neta S. Pane said some police
officers were taking advantage of the police's power to issue
license plate numbers by selling sought-after numbers to
businesspeople for large sums of money, which they then pocketed.
According to regulations, any money generated from issuing
license plate numbers should go directly into the state coffers.
Neta said the practice had become a new source for corruption
at city police headquarters, especially in the traffic division,
which issues the numbers.
Besides two-digit number, officers have sold other "lucky"
numbers for much more than the standard price of about Rp 1
million.
For example, license plate numbers such as B888 or B999 could
potentially be worth tens of millions of rupiah, while a
personalized plate that spells out a name might also cost
millions of rupiah.
A senior officer at city police headquarters, who asked not to
be identified, said officers in the traffic division had been
selling license plate numbers and keeping the money for years.
"There has not been a clear order from the city police chief
or the traffic police director to stop the practice. It is just
something that every officer takes for granted," the officers
said.
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono, however, denied
officers were selling two-digit license plate numbers or any
other numbers above the standard price.
"We never issue two-digit numbers to ordinary citizens because
the numbers are only for high-ranking state officials. As far as
I know, car owners pay a standard price for any number," he told
the Post.