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.