Facing the red tape in public services, its reality

Facing the red tape in public services, its reality

By Christiani S. Tumelap and Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): "There's no need to do it yourself, just pay
more and you'll get it fast." That's familiar advice anytime one
plans to apply for a driver's license or an identity card.

The advice might be untrue, but it is no secret that one can
get both driver's license and identity card processed faster and
easier if extra rupiah is attached to the documents.

"Once, I got really frustrated when I was told by a
subdistrict official that my identity card would take over a
month, even though I had all the complete documents," said
Kuntjoro, a marketing executive.

Just to renew an identity card, one should provide a copy of
their family registration card, photos, a copy of the expired
card and the Rp 1,000 fee. With all these documents, it should
only take one day to process.

"But when I told the official that I badly needed the card and
gave him an extra Rp 30,000, he told me I could pick up my card
in three days," he said. "It's really amazing."

It's the same story with applying for a driver's license, or
SIM as it is called here.

As soon as one enters the Jakarta license bureau on Jl. Daan
Mogot in West Jakarta -- designed to limit the operations of
brokers and "bad" officers -- applicants are instantly surrounded
by touts. All of them raise the same questions: "Want to get a
new SIM? Want to renew your SIM? Let me help you."

The touts might be annoying, but some people, whose tight work
schedule makes it impossible for them to wait for hours to get a
license, making use of a tout's service may be favorable.

"It's impossible to escape from my office for hours just to
renew my driver's licenses. So I regularly used touts, it's
faster than having to line up and follow each procedure," said
Linawati, a public relations officer.

Driver's licenses applicants frequently end up paying twice to
five times the official rate of Rp 62,500, which includes Rp
52,500 for application forms and Rp 10,000 for insurance.

"I don't mind paying ... most people do the same," Linawati
added.

Amid the surge in calls for reform, a tout, who declined to be
identified, said he was sure the police would not kick him out
just because of the need to reform public services.

"We've been long in the business. If they kick us out of here
(the license bureau), we can run our business from home," he
said.

"I still have some 'friends' at the license bureau anyway," he
added, referring to "bad officers" involved in the business.

Reports claim that most of the extra money gained from
applicants is equally distributed among officials in charge of
different booths.

With the help of touts, there is no need for applicants to
take any obligatory tests, including driving tests, or to go
through the tiresome procedures. All they have to do is simply
wait, get their picture taken and wait for their license to be
printed.

But not all people can afford to pay extra just to obtain
their drivers' license or identity cards.

Applicants with little money sometimes have no way of avoiding
the procedures and should also be prepared to be ignored.

"I heard that the bureau is equipped with computers. So, it's
hard to understand why I have to wait for hours just to get my
license renewed," complained Suhardji, who has queued for over
three hours.

Not difficult

Amid all these charges, officials say the procedures to get
both identity cards and drivers' licenses are not as difficult as
reported, as long as one is willing to follow procedures and
complete all the necessary forms.

"Unfortunately, many people tend to seek help from a third
party... Or the documents are incomplete or inaccurate... As a
result, the card has to be reprocessed and its completion takes
longer than it should," deputy governor of administration affairs
Abdul Kahfi said.

But he admits there is still a need to improve his officials'
attitudes and skills.

"Supervision of officials in charge of giving services to the
public should be improved. Fees should be adjusted as regulated,"
Kahfi said.

When asked whether it was possible for identity cards to be
valid for more than three years, or to have one for a lifetime,
he said the present situation made it impossible.

"People's legal awareness is still low... and it's hard to
control people's mobility," he said.

For residents, an identity card is important as legal evidence
of one's identity and for security, while the administration
needs to know residents' whereabouts, the size of the local
population and to raise locally generated revenue.

Under the present regulation, identity cards have to be
renewed every three years. Only those over 60 years old are
issued cards to last the remainder of their lives.

Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang also pointed
out the need for each driver to have his/her license renewed
every five years.

"A driver's license proves that a driver is capable of driving
and will not endanger others, or disturb traffic," he said.

Licenses, he said, also help officers in investigating
accidents.

But he declined to comment on the misuse of procedures for the
processing of new driver's license or their renewal by "bad"
officers who are after personal profit, or the widespread
practice of touts. "I don't know about that... let Mabes (the
national police headquarters) explain," Aritonang said.

He blamed people's "super busy" lifestyles for hampering the
police in providing good services.

"People want to process everything fast and even use touts'
services. When they find a problem, they blame it on the police,
even though they don't follow procedures themselves," Aritonang
said.

Sociologist Sardjono Jatiman says people have tired of the
state of public services and feel it is time to reform.

"People have been waiting long enough for better public
services. But the main question lies with the bureaucrats. Are
they willing to reform public services?" he asked.

Many high-ranking officials, he says, are reluctant to become
regular people. "Are there any ministers who apply for their own
identity cards?"

People, he says, are willing to follow procedures as long as
officials are consistent in implementing regulations.

For instance, he says, people are willing to line up in banks
because of the banks' consistency. "Banks serve those who come
first," Sardjono said.

If the city wants to raise money from processing identity
cards or driver's licenses, he says he is certain that people
would not mind paying for it as long as "it's legal and the
service is good."

As public servants, he says, officials should not complicate
procedures. "But what happens now is that if they can complicate
procedures, why make it simple?"

Aside from improving public services, he has also urged the
government to improve officials' salaries, to prevent them from
abusing their power.