Govt's testing being taken for a ride, for a fee

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 11/02/2009 2:02 PM  |  Special Report

Several bajaj (motorized pedicabs) and freshly painted public buses occupied the large parking space at the Pulogadung Vehicle Testing Center in East Jakarta, one day towards the end of October.

The center is one of Jakarta's five vehicle testing centers.

On its walls was an announcement that vehicles that had completed the roadworthiness test (KIR) could be painted free of charge.

"This is part of the testing service," said Fatchuri, a spokesman for the center.

The Jakarta Post observed that most vehicles in the area were not only freshly painted, but were also in a good condition.

Their tires seemed to be new. They were cleaner compared to the vehicles passing in the street nearby, and they did not produce black smoke when they drove through.

Most vehicles that undergo the KIR test had previously been repaired and cleaned.

"Vehicle owners would not dare bring vehicles in a bad condition here," said Fatchuri.

It only takes half an hour for vehicles to undergo the KIR testing and get a new certificate, he said.

However, the Post noticed many drivers were sitting in the center for hours.

"They are waiting for new certificates," said a vendor selling goods near the center.

Several men wearing untidy shirts were sitting near an administration desk, holding vehicle documents and looking nervously at the writer from the Post who was wearing a press card and speaking with the office staff.

When asked whether he was an employee at the center, one of the men said "Yes", and left hastily.

The center's staff said these men were not middlemen, but were employees of transport vehicle companies. They worked at the center on a daily basis to help with the administration of their companies' vehicles that needed to renew roadworthiness certificates.

Agus, a motorcycle taxi driver who had been working near the center for nine years, said these employees usually paid the center's staff extra to speed up the issuance of their certificates.

"It can take hours for them to get certificates if they do not pay bribes," said Agus, who claimed to have good relations with the staff.

Soetanto Soehodo, the deputy governor for transportation, trade and industry, said vehicles that had passed the tests could still not be roadworthy.

"In many cases, owners exchange broken parts *with those from vehicles with working parts* before undergoing the test. But then after passing the test, they exchange the good parts with the broken ones again. The good parts are then reused by another vehicle that will also undergo testing," he said.

Bus operator PT Mayasari Bakti assistant director Arifin Azhari said his company repaired its vehicles before taking them in for the roadworthiness test.

"After undergoing the KIR, vehicles are in a very good condition. However, it is possible that within a few months the same vehicles become damaged. This may have caused some misunderstanding," Arifin said.

A trusted source who refused to be identified, said the changing of vehicle parts and paying bribes was commonplace at testing centers.

"Most public vehicles in the city would not pass fair roadworthiness tests, so owners pay bribes to get KIR certification," he said.

"If vehicles really followed KIR requirements, there would not be so many vehicles caught in raids," he said, referring to raids carried out by Jakarta Transportation Agency since the middle of October.

"Even those caught in raids can simply pay bribes *to escape pu-nishment*. Vehicles confiscated in the raids can also be regained by their owners if they pay bribes," he said. (mrs)

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