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Ahok, BI want Jakartans to go cashless
Antara/Rafiudddin Abdul RahmanJakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said that he planned to boost the implementation of Jakartaâs cashless payment system along with the presence of recently established Bank Indonesiaâs (BI) Jakarta representative office
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Antara/Rafiudddin Abdul Rahman
Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said that he planned to boost the implementation of Jakarta's cashless payment system along with the presence of recently established Bank Indonesia's (BI) Jakarta representative office.
The governor said his move was part of the National Non-Cash Movement (GNNT) which started in 2014.
Ahok said Jakarta had started implementing the cashless system on Transjakarta bus services and with Jakarta Smart Cards (KJP) for students.
"When all buses and school canteens have already implemented e-money, nobody will need to withdraw cash from their KJP cards," he said in Jakarta on Monday.
At the moment, KJP's funds are divided into two budgetary allocations. First, routine allocations in form of cash for transportation and lunch, in which junior and high school students can withdraw a maximum of Rp 50,000 (US$3.76) per week from their KJP cards. Second, monthly allocations are available but only in the form of non-cash payments for books and other educational needs.
Ahok said he also planned to use a similar cashless payment system to help the poor.
"If you feel poor in Jakarta, you should have a saving in the bank because the funding aid from the government will come through e-money," he said.
The governor said the use of e-money would help the government to provide better public services.
He claimed that the currently established cashless payment system for vendors and public housing users had made their businesses more organized and helped to inoculate them from any kind of illegal levy imposed by street thugs.
Under the system, the governor explained, Jakarta street vendors were required to obtain debit cards with city-owned lender Bank DKI. The vendors would find a monthly levy of Rp 90,000 imposed by the city administration, or about Rp 3,000 a day, withdrawn from their accounts on the 15th day of each month.
BI said e-money was a more practical, transparent, and efficient payment method, and that it had a better transaction recording system.
Based on World Bank data in 2014, only 35.9 percent of the Indonesian population over 15-years-old had an account in a financial institution. Of that number, 25.9 percent had debit cards and only 8.5 percent used a debit card to make payments. (fsu/ebf)(++++)
