Lack of service disgruntle Jakartans

Lack of service disgruntle Jakartans

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With many civil servants failing to show up for work on the first
day back after the long Idul Fitri holiday, many residents were
left steaming over poor public services.

A long queue was seen on Monday in front of the telephone and
water billing counters at the Jakarta central post office in
Central Jakarta.

"I had to wait about 30 minutes before I could pay," said
Mifta, 39, from Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Amrizal, 50, said he had no choice but to wait his turn. "I
have to pay my bill today, otherwise the telephone company will
cut the connection."

To make matters worse, Tiwa, a counter employee, said the
computers at the post office were hanging because the server at
the North Jakarta Telecommunications office was down.

Suratmo, 48, who lives in Wijaya Kusuma district in East
Bekasi, said the telecommunications company disconnected
customers more than a month behind in their phone payments.

"They cut my telephone connection once because I forget to pay
three telephone bills. I will never do that again because it cost
me more than Rp 700,000 (US$82)," said Suratmo.

The assistant manager at the water and telephone billing
counters at the post office, Dian, said the counter was open
until Nov. 24, the day before Idul Fitri.

She added, however, that the office forgot to inform customers
that they could pay their telephone bills at the water counter.

Some customers, however, said the counters were not open ahead
of the holiday.

"I came here on Nov. 24 at lunchtime but the counter was
closed," said one unhappy man.

Another customer, Heni, 35, said the water counter was closed
on Nov. 24, although it was announced in the newspaper that the
counter would be open that day.

Another counter attendant, Mustofa, insisted that the counter
was open on Nov. 24.

"We had to be open because the deadline for paying bills from
city-run water company Lyonnaise Jaya was Nov. 24, while the
deadline for Thames-PAM Jaya was moved forward from Nov. 25 to
Nov. 21 because of the holiday," he said.

On normal days, the counters open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 1
p.m. As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, the water billing counter had
handled only 78 customers.

At the Kayu Putih subdistrict office in East Jakarta, about 20
requests to renew ID cards and six requests for marriage
certificates were submitted on Monday.

The subdistrict head, Syofian Thahir, said the office was a
bit slower than usual. "Maybe people think the office will still
be quiet on the first day of work."

Unfortunately, foul actions also returned with the employees
who made their way back to the office after the holiday. Although
it was clearly written that there was no charge to make or renew
ID cards, when people asked the answer was "it's up to you".

Benny, a resident of Pulomas, paid Rp 10,000 (US$1.18) to
smooth the renewal of his ID card.

State Minister for Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin
discovered similar behavior when he inspected the Central Jakarta
Mayoralty's Office on Monday.

He found an increase in the fee to obtain a birth certificate
at the office. Isnaini, a resident who came to register her first
baby, said the cost was Rp 35,000.

She said that was the fee she had to pay for her nephew's
birth certificate.

The official rate is Rp 5,000.

The state minister asked the South Jakarta mayor to look into
the matter.