Thousands of BCA customers rush to branches, ATMs

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of customers of Bank Central Asia (BCA) flocked to branches and automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout the city yesterday and queued for hours to withdraw their money.

The run on BCA trailed several days of heavy withdrawals from the country's largest private bank, which is owned by the widely diversified Salim Group and children of former president Soeharto.

Yesterday's run was also prompted by the government's announcement Thursday that the bank had been placed under the control of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).

The Jakarta Post observed BCA branches in Jatinegara, East Jakarta; Matraman, Slipi and Sudirman, Central Jakarta and Melawai in South Jakarta, which were all swamped by customers from 8 a.m.

A woman who fainted at BCA Sudirman was assisted by security officers and allowed to rest in one of the offices.

Some customers admitted queuing before 6 a.m. for a head start on the crowds.

"I came here (to BCA Matraman) about 5:40 a.m. It was still quiet. But a few minutes later people started coming and the security officers told us to stand in line," Rachmiaty. S., an employee of a private firm who skipped work yesterday, said.

She said she would try to withdraw all her money and deposit it in one of the state banks.

"I work hard for my money. It's about Rp 4 million in total. Maybe it sounds small to other people but it's worth a lot for me."

Randita Pramudya, a customer at BCA Slipi, said he was disappointed with the service.

"They closed the doors about 10 a.m.. We were forced to wait outside."

Queues of people in front of BCA ATMs have become a daily scene here over the last few days after massive student protests, which resulted in former president Soeharto's resignation.

There were people who came to terminate their accounts and there were also others who only wanted to withdraw money for basic expenses.

"I haven't paid my mobile phone bill, my credit cards ... and I don't have any money left," Gunawan, a resident of Tegalan, Matraman, said.

"If people keep on coming like this, I'm afraid BCA could collapse. I personally believe that the government would not abandon BCA customers. As you know, BCA is the largest bank here.

"But the lining up and the run has started to get on my nerves," the father of four said.

Yustika Indriyani, a small vendor in Jatinegara, had a similar experience.

"I put money in the bank because I thought that it would be safe. But who would have thought about this ... Well I'd better just keep the money under the bed like I used to," she said, using a newspaper to shade her head.

She said BCA customers were no longer high-class members of society.

"I saw all of my friends here ... they are all common people. There's Pak Trisuji, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver near my place," she said, waving.

BCA claimed 122 of its offices were damaged during the massive rioting two weeks ago, including 17 of which where set on fire. Dozens of its ATM facilities were also attacked by angry mobs during the riots on May 14, dubbed Gray Thursday.

In a move to bolster confidence in the bank, BCA president Abdullah Ali called a snap media conference Sunday to inform the public that BCA's shareholders were still committed to the bank, as was Bank Indonesia, the central bank.

BCA is owned by the Salim Group, which retains a 70 percent majority stake and Soeharto's son Sigit Hardjojudanto and daughter Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, who hold the remaining 30 percent.

"The bank will operate normally since Bank Indonesia has guaranteed all deposits, including those at BCA," he said.

But his words did little to calm people's fears. People are already too traumatized by the chaos and simply fear they will lose their money.

"We need to keep cash. This country is falling apart. What is left for little people like us?" Yustika asked. (edt)