Our police ready to serve -- if the money is ready

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 07/31/2007 12:15 PM  |  Jakarta

The police's motto is ""to serve and protect the community"". But putting that motto into practice comes with one caveat: money talks.

Want proof? Recently, I went alone to the Jakarta Police's Vehicle Document Registration Center on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, to process a new driving license.

I arrived at around 10 a.m. The signs on the door read ""don't use brokering services"" and ""only driving license applicants may enter"". Pure fantasy stuff, of course.

Curious of what it would be like to go through the standard procedure for getting a new license, I decided to go through without using any of the ""extra services"".

Even though I had gone there twice beforehand, I entered acting as if I had no clue where to go.

Noticing my presence, a female officer at the information desk stood up and asked, ""What can I do for you, sir?""

I told her what I was there for. The officer replied, ""you may go by yourself, or you could use my colleague's assistance -- the fee is Rp 400,000 (US$44.44) in return for no queue. But the choice is all yours.""

Politely, I turned her down.

After a few steps, another officer came and offered me similar help. This time, he asked for Rp 425,000 for the service.

I asked him what the normal price was. He said Rp 425,000 was standard and covered everything. Again, I politely refused.

I went straight to the counter to pay for my health test form, which cost me Rp 10,000. Next I went for the vision test, which seemed to be more a formality than anything else. And, of course, I managed to pass like everyone else.

Next I went to two counters for a Rp 15,000 insurance and a Rp 75,000 theory test form.

While filling in the test form, I noticed a police officer in a brown uniform approach a woman in her 40s sitting next to me.

I couldn't help not to overhear the officer saying, ""Everything is set, ma'am, as long as the money is ready"".

If the ubiquitous signs inside the center are really sincere about deterring applicants from using brokers, maybe they should be more specific, and add the word ""outside"" in front of ""brokers"".

I then walked to another counter to hand over my test form.

It's an easy theory test, or at least I thought so. I had to have at least 18 correct answers out of 30 to pass.

I took a seat close to the other applicants and awaited my result.

As I sat, I eavesdropped on the conversations around me. A woman in her mid-20s behind me started a conversation with a military officer and another man in his late 20s.

They were amazed at how common brokerage was in the center. I obviously wasn't the only one who found their presence obvious.

The woman said the high price meant she never accepted brokerage offers from either police officers or ""outsiders"". ""As a result, I've failed my theory test three times,"" she said.

The military officer also said how hard it was to get a driver's license ""if you don't have a relative or friend inside the center or if you're not a military officer, civil servant, or reporter"". I found his words carried a peculiar truth.

A while after, I got my test result back. I failed.

If the officers there easily passed all applicants for the vision test, why did they fail me in this easy theory test?

A young man standing next to also failed the theory test. He asked for the proof -- his test sheet -- but was turned down by the man at the counter.

I stepped forward and asked the man at the counter to expedite my application. ""I need it fast,"" I said, ""I'm a reporter"".

He quickly told me where to go after I showed him my press card. ""Just go to room 37 on the second floor,"" he said.

I met a lady at that room and asked her for ""help"" without revealing my identity as a reporter. She told me to go to another room nearby to meet an officer.

I stood in the doorway, scanning the room for the man I was supposed to be looking for. The 16-square-meter room was filled with around five applicants all seeking similar help.

I walked in and saw two male officers and two outside brokers behind a white curtain. One of the officers counted money with the brokers, money I assumed was not collected entirely according to the rules and regulations. The remaining officer registered those seeking help.

""Sir, could you please help expedite my application?"" I said to the officer. He asked me for my Jakarta ID, while one of the brokers said chuckling, ""Wow, so many people asking for help today.""

As he read over my ID I added, ""I'm a reporter and I need my license as quickly as possible.""

He then told me to make two copies of my press card and give them to an officer in room 37.

I made the copies and gave them to the lady I met earlier. She passed the copies on to a colleague who promptly tore up the results of my theory test result and replaced them with a passing grade.

The next stop was the practice test. I was asked to ride a motorcycle. I passed.

Officers there told me to go to a next counter to have all of my documents processed again.

I went through the process alone and spent only Rp 110,000, far less than what brokers had offered. I finally left the center at 4:30 p.m., six-and-a-half hours after arriving.

With this kind of performance, do the police really deserve the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification they currently hold?

-- Mustaqim Adamrah

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