Bugger...!!!! As discussed before, its a long fall from the moral high ground.
I fell off the mountain yesterday and joined the Hypocrites. Calmly minding my own business, I was rounded up by the local constables for not wearing a seat belt (as the bemo bus rips past with 6 people hangine out the door..grin).
As always, you are offered two choices ..official or "Ok Pak Saya bisa bantu" (Ok Mr, I can help).
To cut a long story short, the help started at 200,000Rp which quickly came down once it was established that I could speak Indonesian. Eventually,it was decided that 50,000Rp which is about $5 was fair. The normal rate local rate is 15,000 to 30,000 but there is always the Tax Kulit (Skin Tax..you are westerner therefore costs more) to factor in.
Suffice to say, in a very short time on my way again.
BUGGER, BUGGER .. Time to climb that morale mountain again..oh well never said I was perfect just expect others to be. Meanwhile, Indonesia Anonymus has a "mommy" who fell off that same moral mountain
5 comments:
Only 50,000? that's nothing. I was settled for 100,000 just because I took a wrong turn, and my skin is much much darker than average Indonesian.
But of course I was riding a Mercedes at the time...
Lide..
You have to rememeber we are out in the provinces here.. I do believe Jakarta is much more expensive ..
Mind you riding in a Mercedes..if it had been black with blacked out windows you never would have been stopped
Rp.50,000 does sound low, even for outside jakarta.
After all, the 'going rate' is only valid for locals. Once it is established that you are from jakarta, the bar will be raised.
So not much of a 'skin tax' there...
Interesting term, by the way. Never heard of it before.
Sad to know it exists (are we indonesians therefore racists?), but interesting nevertheless.
Oh, and about climbing the moral mountain: it's a slippery slope, innit?
Ben.
why not set a good example, go to court and pay the official fine? yes, exactly.
Indonesia Anonymus,
I can assure you 50,000 was the rate (actually be cheaper but mmmno change Mr..).
The term skin tax does not infer racism as such, just a "term" for reality. Same happens in most countries and or tourist areas, one price for locals, one for tourists. Works in reverese as well KITAS holders get a better discount than tourists. You guys good at this ..send a "bule" Local Jakarta lad and a non local Indonesian to the markets and see the difference.
Slippery Slope..yes no defence offered
Anon.. Yes, I should have and I didn't. Although going to court for a seat belt who besides the most moral of us has that kind of time..
However again... no defence offered just a reason
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