When first come does not mean first served

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

First come, first served, right? In many parts of the world, yes. But not here in Indonesia.

Many people want to be the first to be served, but they do not want to queue.

And that happens every day, everywhere; at banks, at the railway station, in shopping malls and on the road. You may experience it when you want to take a taxi, get into an elevator, draw some money at an ATM booth, use a public pay phone or use the toilet.

"I had been waiting for almost half an hour to get a taxi, but when it came, a man who had just appeared from nowhere took it," a private firm employee grumbled, recalling his experience at a bus stop in the Slipi area, West Jakarta.

His anger turned to frustration when the cab left and he could not do anything, but let it go.

"Such kinds of things would never happen in Singapore," said the man who had recently visited the city state.

Astrid Sari, a university student, shared the same feelings when she was queuing to pay for her shopping in Carrefour hypermarket on Jl. HR Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

"It was very annoying when an unscrupulous guy all of a sudden took my turn when I was chatting with my sister-in-law," Astrid Sari said.

"I wanted to protest but I was afraid as he was a big man with an unfriendly face," she said.

It is not just men; women too fail to form a line, like what regularly happens at ladies rest rooms in public places.

"I often experience it. When the door of a toilet is opened, a woman suddenly rushes into it, even though I had been waiting for a longer time than her," a woman complained.

"But I could do nothing because there were several toilets, and I happened to stand in front of the wrong toilet, as the person using it took a very long time," she said.

Please Queue signs are posted at most public places here. However, many people, regardless of their background, prefer to jostle rather than join the line. They refuse to show respect toward other people who have been in the line for a longer period of time.

In order to make sure that the first customer is the first served, some banks use a ticketing system. Some others put queuing ropes to force people to line up. Security guards are also there to watch over - not just for suspected criminals - but also for anyone who breaks the line.

On the road, it is common to see reckless motorists try to get ahead of the vehicle in front of them by crossing lanes, zig- zagging or even passing along the middle of the road or the sidewalk. That often happens in front of toll booths or at gas stations.

And when you are on the road, tension runs high.

Seno, an employee at a gas station on Jl. Penjernihan, Central Jakarta, revealed that jumping the queue occasionally leads to bickering.

"Motorists often get caught in quarrels when they zoom to obtain the front place in the row," he said.

He said a police officer from a nearby police post sometimes intervenes to prevent fighting from breaking out.

While at the railway station, the queuing system often does not work because demand is greater than the supply.

Irfan, who was in the front row of a queue for tickets for trains heading to Bandung at Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta, said people would be reluctant to queue if they were not sure they would get tickets.

"Those who come late often try to jump the queue, or buy tickets from scalpers," said Irfan, a Jakarta resident who studies at Padjadjaran University in Bandung.