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Reading about the Singaporean who was allegedly
hit and punched when he confronted an alleged corrupt immigration officer in
Batam last week1 brought back memories of my visits to Medan,
Indonesia in the the 1980's during the Suharto era. |
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On one of my visits then, while I was clearing
immigration, I was told to step into a room at the Immigration checkpoint at
Polonia Airport. An immigration officer said I was visiting Indonesia too
frequently - my passport showed I went there once every two months in the past
six months. I pointed to my relatives who were standing outside the
immigration area, waiting for me. |
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In less than ten minutes, I was let out of the
room and my passport was returned to me, duly stamped. The official merely
said I could go; he did not tell me more. But, I found out later from my uncle
that he had to pay S$30 to the official to secure my release from the
immigration room. That amount was about one-third of an immigration officer's
monthly salary in Indonesia then. |
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I was to learn more about this strange Indonesian
custom during my frequent stays in Medan. It was an accepted part of life
there, according to my uncle who had been living there for the past few
decades. In my accompanied forays into town, I was to learn not to look at
police officers while I was in the family car. That's because, if you caught
the chap's eyes, and he signalled you to pull over, it meant he wanted money.
If I recall correctly, there is a market rate, based on the type of vehicle
you are in. For lorries, you had to shell out S$30, and for cars S$20. So, I
tried very hard to keep my eyes out of harm's way. |
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The Singaporean who wrote in to the Forum Page of
The Straits Times1 had said, "a higher-ranking official then took
me to a room and questioned my attire. He said that wearing sandals was
'wrong' and, because of it, he would not allow me into Batam". |
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To me, that bore the hallmarks of the Polonia
Airport incident I was a party to in the 1980's, except, this Singaporean was
accosted in Batam, Indonesia in March 2005. It might seem, in the past
twenty-odd years, not much has changed at the immigration checkpoints in
Indonesia. |
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In Singapore, we take our corrupt-free civil
service for granted, so much so that we are affronted when confronted by
corrupt officials in other countries. These are indeed eye-opening experiences
for us Singaporeans. Such experiences make me glad my home is Singapore. |
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Forgive me for sounding cruel, but I would say --
jolly well have more such experiences while we are overseas, either on
short-work assignments or holiday trips. These experiences will help us
appreciate things we take for granted in Singapore, as one such experience
helped enlighten the Singaporean visitor to Batam, that "it is only now that I
appreciate the orientation towards excellence in public service. A similar
incident would not be allowed to happen in Singapore and, even if it did, the
victim would be ensured a proper channel for redress". |
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To be fair to the Indonesians, we need to hear
their side of the story in the Batam incident. The Straits Times has reported2
that the Batam immigration officer alleged to have assaulted the Singaporean
has been reassigned while investigations continue. The Indonesian island's
immigration chief was reported as having told The Straits Times he had
apologised to the Singaporean's parents who are based in Indonesia. |
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The immigration chief was quoted as saying, "All
complaints will be investigated. We have nothing to hide." Kudos to the
Indonesians for taking prompt action. |
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1 The Straits Times 29 Mar 2005 (H6) |
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2 The Straits Times 5 Apr 2005 (H5) |
Glad Singapore is my home
