When first come does not mean first served
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.