Jakarta Civil Servants Set to Lose Official Cars

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, Nov 26, 2014

This handout photo taken and released by
the Presidential Palace on Nov. 19, 2014
 shows President Joko widodo, right, leading the
 swearing-in ceremony for Basuki Tjahaja
Purnama, left, as Jakarta’s governor at the
 Palace in Jakarta. (AFP Photo/Presidential
Palace/Cahyo Sasmito)

Jakarta. The Jakarta City Council is forging ahead with an edict by former governor Joko Widodo to auction off 300 cars used by city officials and provide them with transportation stipends instead.

Civil servants in echelon II, III and IV will soon have to return their keys and take up transportation allowances as part of cost-cutting measures passed by the administration of Joko, who left office to become Indonesia’s president in October.

Reza Pahlevi, from the assets division of the Jakarta Financial Management Body (BPKD), said that the State Assets and Auction Service Office (KPKNL) was currently calculating the cars’ prices.

“We involved the KPKNL so that the car pricing will be fair,” Reza said on Wednesday in Jakarta. “We could ask the Transportation Agency to do it, but we think the result wouldn’t be fair and right. Therefore, we decided to ask the KPKNL.”

Reza said the BPKD would request Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama — who took office last week — to issue a removal of asset letter once pricing had been recommended.

“We will commence the auction once we have obtained approval from the governor which is why we haven’t asked the officials to turn in their cars yet,” Reza said.

The KPKNL, which will auction the cars, has promised the process would be transparent as the public was allowed to bid, but civil servants were not.

In July, City Hall announced that officials would be provided with transportation fees taken from the city’s regional budget because it was considered more efficient that buying new cars, which devalued.

“The decree was signed by Joko Widodo back in July and we have started implementing it since October,” Reza said.

The transportation fees vary: echelon II officials get Rp 9 million ($592) per month, echelon III officials receive Rp 6 million ($395) and echelon IV officials get Rp 4 million ($263). The transportation fees will be subjected to 15 percent tax.