Land licencing procedures meet vocal criticism
JAKARTA (JP): A number of businessmen have sharply criticized the customary procedures at city administration to secure land use licenses (SIPPT), labeling them arduous, most bureaucratic and time-consuming.
The businessmen contended that the procedures run counter to President Soeharto's recent call on all government offices to do away with all rulings that hamper public service.
"Arduous and time-consuming aside, to obtain such a license we have to spend a large amount of money, mostly used to pay illegal fees which are not officially stated on the forms we have to fill in when applying for the license," one businessman complained as quoted by Kompas daily yesterday.
He lambasted the many officials in charge of issuing the licenses, branding them as unscrupulous, corrupt and greedy.
"Their actions are tantamount to blatant corruption," the businessman, who asked not be identified, charged.
Barricades
He said they have to pass through a "myriad of hurdles and barricades" before they finally secure the licenses.
"Even after we managed to jump over what could have been the last hurdle of having the licenses signed by the governor, we are still required to show the licenses to numerous officials who check and verify the validity of the licenses as well as the signatures of the governor," another businessman added. "This is quite ridiculous indeed, especially in light of the deregulation drive currently being boosted by the government in practically all sectors."
The businessman, who is now constructing office buildings on Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, related that he had to go through more than 30 counters in various municipality offices before securing a license enabling him to build the offices. "It took me more than one year and an untold sum of money to obtain the license. This is not to mention the time and energy spent."
He further said there is no use protesting the procedures while the process for the issuance of a license is underway because it means that, instead of speeding up the process, the officials will deliberately delay it until "a large amount of grease money" is paid.
He said if a businessman did not have a "high degree" of patience, tolerance and, more importantly, a large sum of money to bribe those officials, he'd better cancel his intention to apply for such a license.
"These practices totally run counter to the President's call for the improvement of public service in government offices as well as the government's deregulation drive and anti-graft campaigns," he pointed out.
He refused, however, to name any of the officials whom he described as being corrupt and greedy.
Unless the government takes immediate action to rectify the situation by simplifying the procedures, it is feared that people will eventually be deterred from applying for land use licenses, he said. (bas)