Locals impose illegal fees on Tangerang road

Multa Fidrus The Jakarta Post/Tangerang

Motorists passing Jl. Raya Cisauk in Tangerang are facing a new headache as they are being forced to pay illegal fees imposed by local residents.

An observation made by The Jakarta Post over the weekend revealed that there are at least eight makeshift stops on the sides of the road with scores of young men stationed to collect fees, mainly from passing commercial vehicles or trucks.

Latief, one of three young men at a post in Suradita village, Cisauk, claimed that he was assigned to collect the fees by the village office.

"I have to submit between Rp 75,000 and Rp 100,000 to the village office every day, and I receive Rp 30,000 in return," Latief said while sitting at a plywood stop packed with several other young men.

Latief, however, did not say why the village office charged motorists.

Right in front of the Cisauk subdistrict office close to a railway crossing, several residents were also seen asking Rp 1,000 from motorists.

Only 100 meters away from the Cisauk subdistrict office, another group of residents were also seen collecting between Rp 1,000 and Rp 2,000 and giving out tickets to motorists.

The unidentified group said that the cash collected from those drivers would be used to fund "Youth and Sports activities".

Hambali, a local resident who lives near the post, said that the post was initially meant to collect donation to help finance the local Islamic Koran reading contest (MTQ), but when the MTQ was over, several residents kept on collecting.

"I don't understand why these unemployed youths are now continuing to collect money," Hambali said.

Neither the Tangerang regental administration nor the police had received any reports or complaints about the illegal fees.

"We will assign our public order officers to coordinate with the police to clear the streets of those illegal stops," said Tangerang municipal spokesman M. Jabier.

"We will take stern action against groups involved in the imposition of illegal fees," Tangerang Police detectives chief Adj. Comr. Kustanto asserted.

Some truck drivers complained that they had to spend as much as Rp 20,000 every time they passed the main road linking Tangerang and Bogor in West Java.

Saefullah, a truck driver said, most drivers were afraid of refusing to pay the fees since the unidentified residents often threatened to beat up drivers and to vandalize their cars.

"We just want the Tangerang regency administration and the police to take measures against the groups and halt such illegal practices here so that drivers can pass by safely," he said.

Hendrik, another truck driver, who rides a truck ferrying construction material from Tangerang to Bogor, said that he planned to stage a rally at the administration's office in Tigaraksa to protest against the illegal fees.