Job seekers told to buy greeting cards

The change of guard could mean good business for the state mail service which provides greeting cards to be sent directly to the new President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

However, dozens of applicants for civil servant's posts at Banten administration complained over the new service while they were posting their applications on Friday, Tempointeraktif.com news portal reported.

One of the applicants claimed that the post office attendant required them to buy the greeting cards.

"I only have Rp 15,000 (US$1.63) in my pocket, just enough to buy stamps. But the locket attendant asked me to pay another Rp 4,500 to buy the greeting card. That's a waste of money for me," he said.

Friday was the closing date for applicants to send their applications for several posts in Serang regency administration, Lebak and Cilegon municipalities.

M. Nasir, post office manager at Serang, capital of Banten, said that the procurement of the greeting cards was not a "must".

"The new service is aimed at facilitating the people to greet the new president ... not all of us can visit President SBY at his house in Cikeas, Bogor," he said.

The President has left his private home in Cikeas to reside in Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta. -- JP