City contradicts itself on taxi licenses

City contradicts itself on taxi licenses

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Contradicting public statements that the city administration has
temporarily shut the door to any requests for new taxi permits,
Governor Sutiyoso quietly issued a decree that allows new taxi
companies to enter the overcrowded market.

City Land Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendy Sidabutar
said on Monday that Sutiyoso issued a decree in 2002 allowing new
taxi operators to open shop.

"Gubernatorial Decree No. 214/2002 stipulates that we can
allow operation permits for at least 2,384 taxis to be issued,"
Rustam announced at City Hall on Monday.

Rustam's announcement suggested that the presence of PT Primer
Metro Transindo was necessary to meet the demand for taxis in the
capital.

PT Primer came under the spotlight after Deputy Governor Fauzi
Bowo claimed his signature had been forged on a 2003 letter
approving the issuance of the company's license to operate 300
taxis in the capital. The revelation, however, suggested that any
investigation would focus on forgery.

A senior official close to the case, who asked for anonymity,
said the City Audit Agency suspected that three city officials
were involved in the forgery case.

The three, identified only as NA, BG and RS, are all still
active civil servants. They currently head different divisions
with the City Land Transportation Agency, City Economy
Development Bureau and City Cooperatives and Small and Medium
Enterprises Bureau.

"The City Audit Agency will also recommend to Jakarta Governor
Sutiyoso that they be dismissed owing to their serious
wrongdoings," he said.

Sutiyoso was not available for comment on Monday as he was
abroad.

Rustam said based on the decree, his agency along with the
City Economy Development Bureau decided to process a proposal
from PT Primer in 2003.

Rustam's statement concerning the gubernatorial decree is in
stark contrast to an official statement that the administration
had temporarily stopped issuing permits for new taxis in the city
owing to the overcrowded market.

According to data from the City Land Transportation Agency, at
least 30 taxi operators are licensed to operate 23,000 taxis, but
only 21,200 taxis are operating.

Fauzi said earlier that the city administration had received
complaints from Jakarta taxi operators that many taxi fleets with
licenses to operate on the outskirts of Jakarta, namely in Depok,
Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, were operating in the capital.

"We have temporarily stopped the issuance of new permits for
taxis to maintain the business at a healthy level," Fauzi said
when announcing the alleged forgery of his signature to issue a
business license for taxi company PT Primer.

According to councillor Muhayar Rustamudin of Commission D for
transportation and development affairs, the city administration
stopped issuing new taxi permits in 2001.

Meanwhile, councillor Sayogo Hendrosoebroto, who chairs
Commission D, lamented the case and blamed the administration's
failure to publicly announce any new policies.

"The administration has long run a closed management, making
any information it provides so expensive. It needs to be more
transparent by publicly announcing every policy it makes.
Otherwise, it will lose all credibility when unscrupulous people
take advantage of such a situation, like in the case of PT
Primer," Sayogo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
faction told The Jakarta Post.

Commenting on the case, Muhayar said that the administration
should annul PT Primer's operation permit because it was
defective.

The media became aware of the case only when Jakarta Deputy
Governor Fauzi Bowo claimed early this month that his signature
had been forged.

Fauzi emphasized that the document was fake. However, the
paperwork has been processed by relevant agencies in the
administration and PT Primer has been issued a permit for 50
cabs.

Jakarta Police said their investigation into the case might
reveal that city officials were involved in the offense.