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Stop face-to-face interactions with driver license applicants: Ombudsman
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Ombudsman commissioner Adrianus Meliala speaks to journalists at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday. He called on traffic authorities to avoid face-to-face interactions with driver license applicants. (thejakartapost.com/Viriya Paramita Singgih)
T
he Indonesian Ombudsman has called on traffic authorities to issue driver licenses online, given a rampant practice of charging illegal fees by corrupt officers.
“Face-to-face interaction could lead to bargaining and pave a way for illegal-fee charging and the use of middleman to occur,” said Ombudsman commissioner Adrianus Meliala at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday.
“We want to encourage the [traffic] authorities to maximize the use of information and communications technologies in issuing driver licenses, especially during administration and test processes. With an online system, contact between officials and applicants would only occur during the identification and issuance processes of a license.”
In December last year, the National Police launched an online system to extend the validity period of a driver license. People applying for a driver license for the first time still need to go to the nearest licensing office to register and undergo both the written and practical exams, however. A new permit costs Rp 120,000 (US$8.78) for private car or passenger vehicle, while a motorcycle license costs Rp 100,000.
In its survey, the Ombudsman found a number of violations in traffic offices in nine cities across the country last year. They occurred in Ambon in Maluku, Jakarta, Jayapura in Papua, Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara, Manado in North Sulawesi, Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara, Padang in West Sumatra, and Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan.
Charging of illegal fess were rampant in all of those offices. In Mataram, a driver license for a private car costs Rp 400,000, far higher than the normal fee. In Jayapura, a person has to spend Rp 1.2 million to get a passenger vehicle driver license.
Violations have also been discovered in the police’s one-stop administration center (Samsat) in Jakarta, including unsuitable medical tests and license issuances without proper exams.
“It was found in the survey that motorcycle driver licenses without the written and practical exams were being issued at the Samsat in Daan Mogot [Jakarta]. This was occurring with help from a middleman later known to be an active military personnel,” Adrianus said.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police’s deputy director of traffic affairs division Adj.Sr.Comr. Latif Usman said there were an estimated 1,500 driver license applicants per day at the Daan Mogot office. Thus, he said, it was difficult to monitor them all.
Separately, National Police traffic corps chief Brig. Gen. Agung Budi Maryoto called on the public to report any kind of malpractice they encountered when acquiring their license to the police.
“The public should also be involved in this matter. If a driver license is issued without proper procedures, the officer could be criminally charged,” Agung said.
Recently, the public's attention has been drawn to Malang Police officer Chief Brig. Seladi in East Java, who works at the city driver licensing office during the day and as a scavenger at night. He has gained reputation as an honest police officer who refuses to take bribes.
“The important thing is this job [scavenging] is legal and I sincerely chose to do it. I don’t care what people may say. I know there must be someone out there teasing me for doing such a job. If so, I would say, ‘I could be like you, but could you be like me?’” Seladi said, as reported by Kompas.com. (vps/ebf).
