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)