Racist Indonesian fees
Racist Indonesian fees
Since I first arrived in Indonesia more than 12 years ago, I
have been very aware of the fact that westerners are regarded as
'walking ATMs' and at that time there were no ATMs in Indonesia.
It took me a little longer to realize that it is not just the
ordinary people who think this way, the Government does too. I
have done my fair share of traveling around the world but I don't
think there is any country which can beat Indonesia for its
officially sanctioned racism.
I have an Indonesian Driving License which is issued on an
annual basis and costs me Rp 350,000. An Indonesian friend just
renewed his license at a cost of Rp 200,000 and it is valid for
five years so he pays just Rp 40,000 per year whereas mine costs
me almost this much per month. Is this fair?
As a Kitas holder, I have the annual hassle and expense of
renewing my permit to work in this country and then the
iniquitous tax on foreigners of US$100 per month, payable
annually in advance, plus an 'Administration fee' of another $50.
This has to paid in 12 clean, new $100 bills and 1 clean, new $50
bill but there is never a receipt issued. Where does this money
go?
I have accepted all this as the price I have to pay to live in
this country but today I heard a story that I find difficult to
comprehend. An Indonesian friend who owns a business in Bali was
asked by his bank - Panin - if he would like to borrow some
money. As he is currently having a house built and needs a little
financial help, he went to the bank and asked to borrow Rp 150
million. He offered, as security, the certificates of land he
owns worth over Rp 600 million, so the bank would have been on to
a good deal but his application was refused. Why? Because he
has a wife who is not Indonesian. The bank said that this was a
general instruction from the Bank of Indonesia and on checking
with other banks in Bali, the same story was given.
If anyone reading this can explain why this blatant xenophobia
should be allowed, I would be happy to hear from you but it seems
that, for the present time at least, I have to give a word of
warning. If you are Indonesian and think that at any time in your
life you may need to ask for a bank loan, don't marry a bule!
Andrew Charles,
Denpasar, Bali