Data difficult to get at Bapepam

Data difficult to get at Bapepam

From Bisnis Indonesia

The large-scale promotional activities being conducted by participants in the capital market to introduce the stock exchange to the public is being hampered by the "rules" of the Capital Market Supervising Agency (Bapepam).

I had difficulty obtaining data which I needed to do my research paper, even though I had a letter of introduction from my university (albeit only a photocopy, because I left the original behind in Surakarta).

I need more data regarding the latest education program for stock brokers. I tried to obtain it from the Jakarta Association of Stock Brokers, which did not have the information.

I was advised to contact the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) where I contacted the membership division, but again without any results.

My only remaining hope was Bapepam. But, even armed with a photocopy of my university's letter, I was unable to obtain the data. What was most regrettable was that Bapepam's public relations officer (Mr. Darsono) failed to take me to the authorized department. Instead I was advised to go to the Bapepam library.

Here, too, the photocopy of the letter I carried was not accepted for forwarding to whichever official was in charge. The reason given was that it was only a photostat copy and that it was addressed to the Head of the Public Relations Department rather than the Head of Bapepam. (Introductions are usually made through the public relations departments of official agencies).

A letter from the Jakarta Social-Political Affairs Office, again, was not enough to convince Bapepam that I really was a student of Universitas 11 Maret in Surakarta. It is not possible for me to go back to Surakarta to get the original letter because of considerations of cost and work (I cannot leave my work for too long).

All this is most regrettable to me. How can the capital market be effectively popularized among the public when the proper agencies (such as Bapepam) are making it difficult for people to obtain information.

Still, I owe the brokers at the JSX my gratitude for their willingness to fill out my questionnaire. The same goes for the membership section of the JSX. It is to be hoped that the cooperation extended by those two parties will help nurture the interest of students and members of the public to learn more about the workings of the capital market.

R. FITRIANA

Semarang, Central Java