Surjadi promises to combat illegal levies collection
Surjadi promises to combat illegal levies collection
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja promised here yesterday to wipe out the rampant collection of illegal levies, both at the vehicle testing centers in Pulogadung and Ujungmenteng and at inter-city bus terminals throughout the capital.
The governor said that officials of the city administration would not tolerate the unchecked growth of such practices.
"I will appreciate help provided by members of the public who are willing to report any form of illegal levy collection to my office. Their doing so will be of help us in upholding the rules," Surjadi said at a ceremony marking the renaming of Bank Jaya, formerly called Jaya Bank, in Central Jakarta.
Information provided by the public was important, he said, to help the city administration take action against the illegal practices.
Surjadi made the remarks in response to reports that the collection of unauthorized fees was still rampant at the vehicle testing centers and at bus terminals.
The illegal fee collection reportedly involves not only brokers but also officers of the City Land Traffic Control Agency (DLLAJ).
H. Lukman F. Mokoginta, the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party faction at the City Council, said: "Actually DLLAJ should be continuously on the alert and not conduct an operation against corrupt practices only after reports about illicit practices are published in newspapers."
The illegal levy collection has reportedly increased the fees paid for vehicle testing by up to 400 percent. A truck owner, for example, who used to spend only Rp 20,000 (US$9.09) on vehicle testing, is currently forced to pay Rp 70,000.
"The illegal fee collection is contrary to the National Discipline Movement, which was launched nationwide by President Soeharto on May 20," Lukman said.
He said that a failure to remedy the problem quickly would indicate that many officials were becoming hoodlums; at a time when Indonesia was trying to rehabilitate street hoodlums, against whom mass arrests had been made over the past few months.
Last month, four suspects were arrested on suspicion of collecting unauthorized fees from vehicle owners at the vehicle testing center in Ujungmenteng. Two of the arrested men were DLLAJ officials, while the other two were brokers.
Lukman urged DLLAJ to intensify its steps against violators, thereby frightening officers involved in the illegal practice. He said it was to be hoped that fear of the consequences would cause the recalcitrant officers to cease the practice.
He called for a special team from the City Police and the Jakarta branch of the National Stability Coordinating Agency to be posted at the vehicle testing centers to guard against violations of the rules.
Meanwhile, Antara has reported that similar illegal levy collections are occurring at the city's bus terminals.
At the Kampung Rambutan inter-city bus terminal, for example, drivers of Jakarta-Bandung buses are forced to pay a fee of Rp 60,000 every time they enter the terminal complex.
One such driver, who requested anonymity, said that Rp 6,000 of the Rp 60,000 was an entrance fee, Rp 4,000 was for vehicle washing, Rp 2,000 was a lane fee, Rp 15,000 was for the vehicle's stay at the terminal and Rp 18,000 was for other services. He said that a full Rp 15,000 was an unauthorized fee that had to be paid to brokers.
"How can we make a living if we are forced to pay this collection?" he asked. "Actually we don't oppose such collections," he said, "as long as the fees aren't too high."
The experience of the drivers of city buses is similar: they are forced to set aside additional money for certain people at the terminals. (31/hhr)