Trust Cannot Be Extorted: Surabaya Government Cracks Down on Illegal Community Levies

Good roads, tidy drainage and well-ordered neighbourhoods mean nothing if public trust in the system of government continues to weaken.

Surabaya (ANTARA) - No community can thrive without mutual cooperation. Village roads are repaired together, water channels are built through self-funding, night watches are carried out in turn, and environmental cleanliness is maintained through contributions agreed by residents.

In many corners of Surabaya, East Java, that spirit remains a form of social capital binding relations between residents.

However, social capital can turn into a source of problems when the boundary between participation and obligation begins to blur. What originally arose from voluntarism has gradually shifted into charges regarded as a requirement.

Newly arrived residents are asked to pay a sum of money, document processing is tied to certain fees, and a perception has emerged that civil administration has a tariff that was in fact never set by the government.

Such phenomena are not merely a matter of the sums involved. What is at stake is public trust in public services and governance at the level closest to daily life.

The Surabaya City Government’s move in issuing Circular Number 100.3.4.3/16871/436.1.1/2026 on Restrictions on Community Levies in RT and RW Neighbourhoods signals that such practices must not be allowed to grow.

The government affirmed that only three types of contribution are permitted: security, cleanliness, and lighting of infrastructure, facilities and utilities that are not yet the responsibility of the regional government, as regulated in Surabaya Mayoral Regulation Number 112 of 2022.

This clarification also corrects the public perception that not all funds collected within the community are legitimate charges. There are rules, mechanisms and oversight that must be fulfilled so that the spirit of mutual cooperation does not become a burden on residents.

The case of alleged levies on migrant residents in the Sememi area serves as a reminder that even practices carried out for years must be evaluated if they conflict with the principles of fair and transparent public service.

Furthermore, the Surabaya City Government has also ensured that all civil administration services through the Population and Civil Registration Office are provided free of charge. This affirmation is important because public services are a right of citizens that must not be linked to any obligation to pay neighbourhood contributions.

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