Residents complain over high cost passport process
Residents complain over high cost passport process
BOGOR (JP): Most Indonesians still prefer to use a shortcut to
realize their purpose, no matter how costly it is.
The scurrilous way, however, affects others who cannot afford
to pay for such practices.
Two Panojer villagers from Sukaluyu district, Cianjur regency,
who are seeking job opportunities overseas, express their grief
recently after they were forced by brokers hanging around the
Bogor Immigration Office to pay Rp 650,000 -- instead of the
official rate of Rp 110,00 -- for a speedy passport process.
"Upon our arrival at the office's gate, a broker was already
blocking our way and said: 'do you want to take the toll road or
the normal route (to obtain your passport)?'," said Dedi, who
wanted to leave for Brunei.
The broker, he said, assured them that his rate could produce
passports in one day, compared to the official way, which would
give applicants' a headache due to complicated procedures.
"At first, we objected to his price because the legal fee
written on the announcement board of the office is only Rp
110,000," Dedi said.
But usually the procedure for obtaining a passport using the
official rate takes a long time and is complicated, he said.
"It could even take a week.
"Our fellow villagers also prefer to choose the brokers'
service, and they can get their passports on the same day," Dedi
said.
When asked to comment on the illicit procedures, head of the
immigration office's supervision unit, Muhammad Yusron, blamed
the villagers for using the brokers.
"Well, it's their own fault if they choose the brokers'
service and have to pay a lot. They must be fooled," he said on
Thursday.
He said that through an announcement on the office notice
board, his office has urged applicants to avoid such practices.
"Through the announcement, we suggest applicants obtain their
passports only through the legal counters," Yusron said.
Out of the official rate of Rp 110,000, Rp 75,000 is for the
passport book and administration fees, Rp 30,000 for passport
photos and the remaining Rp 5,000 for the fingerprinting process,
he explained.
"We have made adequate appeals but still many people ask the
help of brokers to arrange their passports," he repeated, adding
that his office could not prohibit anyone, including the brokers,
from entering the office and even offering their service there.
"Everyone is free to enter this office. We cannot easily
accuse anyone here of being a broker. If we forbid people from
entering this place, unless they have things to do here, we're
afraid that rallies will be held here," he argued.
Yusron did not say with whom the brokers shared their big fee
collected from the applicants.
The brokers refused to comment.
According to Yusron, each passport is usually completed in
five days, as long as all the prerequisites are fulfilled by the
applicants.
"All of the applicants should be processed," he said.
"But we can speed up the process if an applicant really needs
the passport to be finished in one day, as long as he or she can
show supporting references stating that the passport must be
ready in one day."
He said his office received 25 to 30 passport applications per
day. (24/ivy)