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