Social Aid Proxies and Open Loopholes: Assistance No Longer Intact

In the midst of social assistance that should reach recipients intact, a practice is slowly eroding it: joki bansos. This phenomenon grows in open spaces, amid long queues, convoluted systems, and oversight that is not yet fully tight. In several areas of Jakarta, this practice is no longer unfamiliar. There are registration stages, barcodes, and long queues that must be navigated. In such conditions, some choose shortcuts. Refa (35), for example, initially only helped her neighbours. “I often help people collect social aid like for the elderly, disabled, Kartu Anak Jakarta, Kartu Jakarta Pintar (KJP),” she said. However, the assistance turned into a routine. With a fee of Rp 40,000 per card, what started as simple help gradually became a source of income. Another story comes from Yuni (49). She also helps, but without a fixed fee. “I don’t set the fee, whatever they give willingly, the important thing is they are happy to give me sustenance for my children,” she said. In practice, the boundary between helping each other and providing a service becomes thin. Some help voluntarily, others turn it into a job.