YLKI picks holes in government's plan to hike passport fee

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) denounced on Monday the government's plan to raise passport processing fees later this month.

New YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih said the government's decision lacked transparency and obstructed the public's right to know the reasons behind the increase.

"We never know how much money is needed to issue a passport," Indah said after being installed as the non-governmental organization's leader to replace Tini Hadad.

The hike will range from 75 percent to 400 percent, setting expenditures at between Rp 75,000 and Rp 650,000 (from US$11.20 to $97).

The immigration directorate general announced a varied passport fee hike on June 3, but delayed it the following day due to widespread criticism. Many said the increase was untimely because Indonesia was still experiencing an economic crisis.

The increase was attributed to the soaring cost of paper.

"The government has always laid the burden on the public. Before asking for the increase, the government should prove it's already efficient in processing the passport."

Indah said problems in processing the passport lay with the government, which were highlighted in a recently reported scandal.

"How come the foreign affairs ministry and industry and trade ministry were unaware of passport misuse?" she said.

Gatra newsweekly reported in its latest edition that 300 illegal Indonesian workers in the United States were using blue passports, documents designated for state officials, from the two ministries.

Former YLKI chairwoman Tini concurred that transparency was essential.

"We could understand the hike if we are made aware of the reasons. The government should announce a detailed explanation of the costs needed to issue a passport," she said.

Indonesian public services costs are the lowest of Southeast Asian countries, but Tini said it should not be the main justification for a hike.

"We cannot simplify it. We have to compare income per capita of the countries before concluding that public service expenses in a certain country are cheap or costly," said Tini.

The issuance of passports is among the problems faced by Indonesian migrant workers, particularly housemaids. There are widespread reports of workers having their wages cut to pay for immigration expenses. (05)