Transport Minister urges public to report transport extortion via social media
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has urged transportation users not to hesitate in reporting suspected illegal levies by uploading evidence via social media so that it can be promptly followed up.
The request comes in the wake of allegations of extortion practices in the free homecoming services via sea transportation during the 2026 Eid/1447 Hijri period, particularly those reported in Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi.
“The Ministry of Transport has social media; just report it so it can serve as material for our evaluation and investigation. So don’t be shy, if there’s evidence of extortion, video it and send it to us. That’s all,” said the Transport Minister during a discussion with the media in Jakarta on Thursday night.
Nevertheless, Dudy admitted he has not yet received an official report regarding the alleged extortion, thus asking the public to provide detailed information including the time of the incident, location, and the parties allegedly involved.
“Where’s the report? Is there a report? Who did the extortion?” said the Transport Minister while counter-questioning the media who were confirming developments on the alleged extortion case in the free sea homecoming transportation in Kendari City.
He emphasised that reports accompanied by evidence would greatly assist the Ministry of Transport in conducting investigations and taking firm action against parties proven to have committed violations.
According to him, the public need not fear or hesitate to report, as public involvement is crucial in maintaining transparency and the quality of government-organised transportation services.
Dudy also encouraged the public to utilise various social media channels owned by the Ministry of Transport as a means for quick reporting, so that information can be promptly processed by the relevant parties.
“If it’s like that, please convey to us when it happened, what ship it was, all sorts. Passengers shouldn’t stay silent. It’s fine to upload it to social media and so on, so we can follow it up,” stated the Transport Minister.
He added that documentation in the form of videos or photos is very much needed to strengthen reports, allowing verification to be carried out more accurately and quickly by the assigned team.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Transport will use every public report as evaluation material to improve service quality and prevent the recurrence of extortion practices in the future.
“Our hope is that if there is extortion or the like, social media can serve as a place to report,” said the Transport Minister.
Previously, there were widespread reports in Kendari City mentioning allegations of extortion against prospective passengers of the Ministry of Transport’s free homecoming programme that occurred at Nusantara Port, Kandai Ward, Kendari Sub-district, Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi.
Several prospective passengers claimed they were asked for Rp12,000 despite being registered as recipients of free tickets.
It is known that the Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transport prepared around 6,000 free ship tickets for residents intending to return to their hometowns on routes Kendari-Raha-Baubau, Southeast Sulawesi Province.
The quota of thousands of free tickets was given to the public for travel routes Kendari-Raha, Raha-Kendari, Kendari-Baubau, and Baubau-Kendari.