Revision of policies demanded on postal service, trucking

JAKARTA (JP): Associations of courier firms and forwarders yesterday demanded that the government revise policies on postal services and introduce laws on cargo transportation and customs procedures.

The secretary general of the Indonesian Forwarders Association (Infa), Santoso Soeparman, said in a hearing with Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR) yesterday that the proposed policies and laws are needed to support forwarding firms by encouraging them to improve services to the business community.

Yesterday's hearing was also attended by executives of the Indonesian Association of Courier Companies (Asperindo).

Asperindo's chairman, Rudy J. Pesik, told the commission, which deals with housing, tourism, postal services and transportation, that the monopoly of postal services by the state-owned postal service, Perum Pos dan Giro, is bad for the public and hampers business activities.

"Many companies need speedy and reliable services for the delivery of commercial papers, which cannot be fully accommodated by Perum Pos dan Giro," Pesik said.

He noted that the privately-run courier firms are internationally recognized.

"The market segments of courier firms are actually different from those of the state-owned postal service," Pesik said.

Courier firms can deliver only printed materials, newspapers and cash valued at less Rp 250,000 (US$116).

The Postal Law bans air express companies from delivering letters and commercial papers, which may offer opportunities to courier companies.

Bribery

Pesik said that based on the law, officials of local prosecutors offices regularly ransack the offices of courier companies to look for clues. "They stop our cars, open up our filing cabinets and threaten us with law suits. But everything is fine if we bribe them," he explained.

Maruhum Situmorang, a commission member, however, doubted whether the law has caused a decline in the courier business, saying that courier companies have even expanded their investments and increased earnings.

In 1984, for example, only 1,148 courier firms were registered. Ten years later, the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications estimated that the number had increased to 1,500.

Meanwhile, Santoso stressed the importance of introducing a law on cargo transportation services.

While waiting for the introduction of such a law, the government can issue a regulation to arrange transportation contracts to help eliminate red tape and to prompt local forwarding corporations to make international shipments.

He said that a law on customs procedures would also eliminate bribery at customs offices.

Asperindo currently has 114 members, while Infa groups 1,250 companies. (09)