Some time ago in Bali, early one morning while riding a motor bike to fetch some bread
I was stopped by the police for no apparent reason. The policeman asked to see my driving licence. I confidently showed him my International driving licence and he equally confidently pointed to a stamp in the licence that said “No Motorbike”.
I had never bothered to read the fine print of the licence before.
He said you have a choice, either you come with me to the police station and pay a fine of A$2,000 or we can settle the matter here for $400. I negotiated the illicit fee down to A$200 fuming at this blatant corruption while continuing on for the bread.
Knowing that my current stay in Indonesia would be more than a year I thought it would be more economical to get a licence rather than pay police on demand.
I arrived at the Dempasar Police headquarters, an impressive Dutch colonial building set back from the road at 9.00am. There were not many people about. I asked the security guard where to go. He gestured to the back of the building. When I passed through the arch to the rear of the building there was a sea of motorbikes and hundreds of people sitting around waiting.
I climbed the stairs, went to the desk, the lady behind the desk seeing me ,the solitary European, called “Yoman come here you speak English” Yoman, the uniformed policeman, with, pistol and handcuffs on a white belt ushered me into a room with 15 desks and 15 computers and asked me to take a seat.
This was a revelation, new electronic efficiency. There was a banner on the rear wall
“NEW AUDIO VISUAL INTEGRATION SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION Jan 2010.”
The cables connecting the system were neatly arranged on the floor in Plastic conduit about 3cm square. In the isle ways were the cabling crossed from desk to desk there was a wooden block about 6cm square as an additional protection for the cable.
As people were came into the room to undertake their test 80% tripped over the cable
Knocking over its wooden protection, producing laughter by those already seated.
This accidental comedy continued all of the 40 minutes I was there as people came and went. It was classic slapstick; you know what could happen as some one enters the room.
But will it happen? The tension rises as the person approaches the cable, and then is released whether they trip or not.
The wait for my form to be processed was compensated by the never ending guessing game. “To trip or not to trip that is the question”
The smiling policeman kept giving me forms to fill out and when I could not understand the language he did it for me and then asked for what I thought was the licence fee A$20 and completion of the process. When he folded the money and put it in his shirt pocket and told me to get my passport photocopied and go to the next office around the corner
I realized that the A$20 was just for him.
The next two hours involved collecting 13 bits of paper and 13 stamps from 5 different locations in the police complex. Each time I asked a uniformed person for help was a mistake. When I heard a policeman speak English, it was with a limited vocabulary of ten words that his colleagues have taught him.
“I can help you if you will help me”
These 10 words were the signal of what was to come. My repeated response was
“Tidak mengerti” (I do not understand) which I repeated so often that the policeman with his limited English gave up in frustration and helped me for free.
Nearly at the end of the process I paid the official licence fee at place called “BANK”
Was given an official receipt which I took to two more booths to have my thumb print and photograph taken and I was issued with a licence card.
In the three hour process I made friends with other motor bike riders and car drivers and experienced the entrepreneurial spirit of the public service and its contribution to the Indonesian economy. The licensing procedure spawned a mini economy of food stalls, photocopy shops and motorbike and automobile supply stores in the immediate vicinity of the police headquarters.
Now for the test, no not a driving test but the confrontation with the policeman in the street. I have since learned and effective response to a policeman’s request for money. When confronted take your mobile phone and say.
“Please wait a moment while I call the Australian embassy”
