JBA, N.S., now SAINS.

14.8.2009.

The Indonesians sure love them, to extremes. GESTAPO, PEMILU, PERTAMINA etc. Now NS is catching up. MAINS, JAINS, JBANS, now SAINS. Acronyms, I mean. The "old" Malays believe that a sick child can avoid a lingering illness by having its name changed. Thus my late mother was born "Azizah" (makes sense - her siblings were named Hapipah, Rajmah and Rahmah), but her sick condition had my grandmother changed her name to "Cik Yong". There might be some truth there, because my mom passed away at 87. 

That might not cure JBANS. The water interruptions in my housing estate are so frequent that JBANS could very well mean jangan bagi air-Negeri Susah. Now it's SAINS. When the first bill came this month showing the new letterhead and a 198% increase in the charge, well, I blew a spout ! I told Zainal Pak Itam the day before that I'm going to JBA and make a scene. And I did. 

I was hoping to see an officer, but only a woman clerk attended to me. So I said to myself she'll have to do. I had brought along 14 of the last monthly bills that I have settled. I showed them to her, and demanded why this month the charge is practically doubled. I raised my voice and said there are only two of us in the house, and with the almost twice-weekly water cut, this latest charge is impossible. The poor woman said uncle don't run amok, and I said I'm not, because if I am, I'd bang on the table. And why have you changed the department without informing consumers ? 

She insisted that the bill is correct because the last reading was more than 30 days ago, and the company change had been informed of. I disagreed with her, and said that's why a change of government might not be a bad idea, and she saucily replied it's the voter's right, and I said true, and we'll change next time. 

This is a true situation, even if I dramatised the JBA confrontation. The government cannot simply change the departments that deal with the constituents without proper notice and pre-op feedback. Change should be made for improvement. There better be one in the coming months. Otherwise the government itself may require more than a name-change. 

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