President Instructs Minister, Police to Combat Illegal Levies

President Jokowi receives truck drivers at State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (8/5). (Photo by: Public Relations Division of Cabinet Secretariat/Jay)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said that he is happy to meet with truck drivers and expressed his gratitude for their dedication in distributing goods and staple foods across the nation.

“I am very happy to meet all of you. Every day, from morning to midnight, you distribute goods, basic needs, foods to all corners of the country, to trade centers, markets and cities,” President Jokowi said during a meeting with truck drivers from Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (8/5).

During the meeting, President Jokowi asked the truck drivers about illegal levies (known in Indonesia as “pungli”), to which the drivers replied that they still face many illegal levies.

The President further asked whether the illegal levies occurred on truck scale, on the street, or coming from the thugs. In response to that, the drivers told the President about “cap”, which in Indonesian language literally means “rubber stamp”. In this context, the term refers to “pungli”: The truck that has been marked by paint is called “stamped” and the driver must pay some money to the thugs who has marked the truck or, if the driver does not pay the money, the thugs will violently threaten him.

On that occasion, one of the drivers told the President that the drivers need safety during driving so they can make money for their children and they also do not want to be the victims of extortion from thugs, companies, or State apparatus.

In response to that, the President said that he has recorded all complaints and will immediately follow up the report so that the drivers can be safe on the road. The President also instructed Vice Commander of Indonesian National Police to immediately combat illegal levies.

At the end of the meeting, the President again expressed his gratitude to the truck drivers for improving flow of goods to the market, cities and logistics centers. “Once again I thank you for your inputs to the Government in improving the distribution of goods and logistics and in improving the transportation,” the President concluded.

Also present during the meeting were Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and Vice Commander of Indonesian National Police Commissioner General Syafruddin.

(FID/JAY/EN) (RI/EP/Naster)