DPR Member Insists Public Must Not Be Intimidated by Debt Collectors
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Abdullah has stressed that the public must not be intimidated by individuals claiming to be debt collectors, responding to a case involving two men who allegedly intimidated a Toyota Fortuner owner in Bekasi, West Java.
He urged the police to intervene in the matter, from examining the employment status of the two men to thoroughly investigating the motive and purpose of their actions.
“Looking at the chronology circulating, I urge the police to immediately apprehend and examine the two suspected perpetrators,” Abdullah said in Jakarta on Friday.
According to him, if a vehicle is suspected of being the proceeds of crime, the resolution must follow applicable legal mechanisms. In a state governed by law, he said, no party may act as if they possess their own legal authority.
He added that the police must also clarify the employment status of the two men to ascertain whether they are genuine debt collectors or merely using the profession as a cover for actions that harm the public.
If they are indeed debt collectors, Abdullah urged the police to investigate the finance company or leasing firm that employs them. Law enforcement, he said, must not stop at the field perpetrators but must also reach the parties who assigned them and benefited from their actions.
“If they dare not even show their identity, the public has every right to question who they really are and for whose interests they are acting,” he said.
Furthermore, he stated that citizens who become victims are entitled to legal protection and to claim compensation if they are proven to have suffered material or immaterial losses. The state must be present to provide legal certainty and restore the rights of victims.
He therefore called on the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to tighten supervision of debt collector activities. He proposed the creation of a digital database of debt collectors that the public can access to verify their identity, legality, and the finance companies that employ them.
“Debt collectors must also be required to wear official uniforms, carry easily verifiable ID cards, and hold standardised certification. Official debt collectors must be easily recognisable, easily verifiable, and easily held accountable,” he said.
Previously, a video circulated on social media showing two men questioning a resident’s vehicle ownership. They demanded the vehicle documents without showing their own identity or basis of authority, allegedly followed the victim’s vehicle to their home, and accused the car of being stolen property belonging to a Tangerang resident.