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)