Govt should be more generous
Govt should be more generous
From Media Indonesia
If the government decided to be more generous, life would be
more convenient for us. Such generosity, for instance, could be
in the form of service to its citizens. For example, formerly,
those wishing to go abroad were required to apply for an exit
permit at the immigration office. One day the government decided
to be generous (I can't recall when it was), and we no longer had
to apply for an exit permit at the immigration office. We can now
go straight to the airport with our passports and obtain the exit
permit. We don't even have to provide cash when buying air
tickets. Though, it is disappointing that we still have to pay Rp
1 million tax per person. (Perhaps, Indonesia is the only country
throughout the entire world, which imposes a tax for going abroad
to its citizens. So, if the government eliminated this tax, we
would all be able to travel abroad more comfortably.
Another example is over renewing a building (HGB) permit, the
application of which has to be submitted one year before it
expires. The land needs to be re-measured, though it actually is
not necessary. After a year, I had to pay a fine of Rp 8.5
million for neglecting the arrangement of my house extension. I
submitted my complaint, but it was useless as they didn't respond
to it. Fortunately there has been some reform which indicates the
government's generosity. The HGB can now be turned into a
certificate of ownership. Citizens do not have to pay for the
cost of changing the HGB into HM as long as the area of their
land is less than 200 square meters. How convenient!
Similarly, the extension of a car registration certificate has
always been a time wasting and expensive chore. Many usually pay
brokers to do this, which is not very convenient. Few arrange it
themselves. The police regional office does not distinguish the
brokers from those who arrange the application themselves. If
only the POLDA provided a better service to those who applied for
the STNK extension themselves, it would make life considerably
more convenient.
SUGENG HARTONO
Jakarta