Police opt to cancel Red Cross sticker sales at offices

Police opt to cancel Red Cross sticker sales at offices

JAKARTA (JP): City Police decided yesterday to cancel sales of
Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) stickers imposed for several police
services because there was no official instruction governing the
measure, an officer said.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang told reporters the
decision was made to avoid further debate about the sticker
sales, originally intended to obtain public funds to cope with
the city's critical blood shortage due to an outbreak of dengue
fever.

"We will cancel the sticker sales starting tomorrow,"
Aritonang said. He added that PMI requested the sticker sales
last month.

People extending the terms of their vehicle documents were
charged between Rp 1,500 and Rp 2,500 each, depending on the
document type, he said.

Driving license applicants were charged Rp 2,500 each, he
added.

"But executives of PMI's city branch said later that they
hadn't given any recommendation for fund collection through the
sticker sales. Maybe this incident happened because there was
miscommunication within the PMI itself regarding this.

"Therefore, we have decided to cancel the sales of the
stickers and await official instructions from the municipality
about this matter," he said.

The debate on the sticker sales emerged after customers
complained publicly about the imposition of the fund collection
which was done without any official instruction from the
municipality.

Kristianto Budiono, deputy chairman of PMI's city branch, told
reporters Thursday that his office had not issued any order about
the sticker sales.

"If there were any sales of such stickers, I want people to
report to my office as soon as possible," he said during a blood
donation service.

Aritonang stressed yesterday that any funds already collected
from sticker sales would be audited and given to PMI, along with
the remaining stock of stickers given to the police.

"We just want to help PMI to gather funds, especially in this
troubled time. But we don't want to take the blame if something
goes wrong. We don't want to be accused of 'stealing' money,"
he said.

Meanwhile, a city councilor said Thursday that there had been
no official announcement about the sticker sales from the
municipality.

Head of the United Development Party faction Achmad Suaidy
said the city council had informally agreed with PMI's plan to
distribute the stickers in a hearing in February.

"But up until now we haven't given formal recommendations to
PMI to sell the stickers. It also has to be approved by the
municipality," he said.

Achmad said the fund gathering was not a problem, particularly
during the blood crisis, as long as the public gave voluntarily.

"But it has to be done by the book so it is clear where the
money will be contributed. We don't want people's money to
disappear just like that," he said.

It is usual for a gubernatorial decree to support the
collecting of public funds through annual sales of PMI stickers,
he added. (edt)