Motorists prefer to use service of middlemen

Motorists prefer to use service of middlemen

JAKARTA (JP): Motorists prefer to use the services of middlemen in processing their vehicular documents rather than doing the job themselves because the process is time consuming.

"Although it costs me extra money, processing the documents through a middleman saves time. I give her (the middlewoman) only Rp 10,000 extra to renew vehicle ownership documents," said Heru, an employee of a private company who uses the service of a middlewoman to process vehicular documents.

Heru said yesterday at the East Jakarta Vehicle Document Service (Samsat) that individuals who work as intermediaries charge their clients Rp 10,000 in fees per vehicle while intermediaries who work for an agency collect Rp 20,000 for each document renewal.

"The intermediaries share the money with insiders who help them process the documents," he added.

Pointing to a group of people standing in a long line in front of the counters, Heru explained that hiring middlemen also saves time. "This is possible because middlemen have channels inside to quicken the process of the documents," he added.

But some motorists like to process their vehicular documents themselves because it is much cheaper even though they have to spend more time for the job.

"I have been here since 9 a.m. and until now (12 p.m.) it is not finished yet. The officials said the computer is broken down," said Zainal, another motorist.

While another man, who asked not to be identified, said that he came to the office on Friday to renew his vehicular documents and picked them up yesterday.

"I don't like to wait because I know it won't be finished in a day," the man said.

Motorists said that this situation happens because insiders usually give priority to middlemen because they get money for it.

"For one document I pay the officers Rp 11.500. Today I have five documents," said Hendro, who works for an agency offering vehicular document processing.

Some officials of the Vehicle Document Service, apparently taking advantage of poor supervision from their superiors, also offer their service to motorists who want their vehicular documents renewed. But they set higher fees.

"I will do everything from physically checking the chassis number to machine serial number, including processing vehicle ownership transfer documents," a woman official told a young man who asked about taxes for 1965 VW sedan.

Hundreds

Every day hundreds of motorists come to East Jakarta Vehicle Document Service to renew their vehicular documents and pay taxes. This situation is used by some people, such as unauthorized or authorized intermediaries from agencies offering their service to motorists to process their documents.

"Our concern is whether motorists pay their taxes or not. We don't care whether they use middlemen or process the documents themselves, as long as they have valid documents," A.S. Zainuddin, head of the East Jakarta Samsat office, told The Jakarta Post, yesterday.

Zainuddin added that it is the duty of the police to combat middlemen operating at the Vehicle Document Service.

When asked about the newly implemented policy requiring motorists to have a sticker on their vehicle number plates as proof of having paid road taxes, some motorists said that this did not cause additional problems because they do not have pay an extra charge for it.

"No, I don't have to pay any additional fee for the sticker," said Zainal.

Zainal said that obtaining stickers is relatively easy if one's documents were complete, such as the STNK, vehicle ownership book and tax receipts.

Meanwhile, a motorist from Tanah Abang district, Central Jakarta, who went to the Vehicle Document Service at the City Police headquarters to have his vehicular documents renewed, said however that the new policy is more bureaucratic and time consuming.

"It is true that we don't have to pay for the stickers but the process of procuring the documents is time consuming," he said.

"We have to produce so many documents. Never before we were told to do so," another man said.(yns/has)