\u201cThis is a matter of moral responsibility: the moral responsibility\nof a superior, a commander and the officials in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Perum Bulog president director Ahmad Rizal\nRamdhani has stressed that the suspension of six officials reflects\nmoral responsibility and professionalism, and is intended to preserve\nobjectivity while an investigation into alleged irregularities in rice\ndistribution under the Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP)\nprogramme is under way.<\/p>\n
Rizal said the officials had not been suspended because they had been\nfound to have committed a criminal offence. Rather, the measure reflects\nleadership responsibility for the performance of duties in areas under\ntheir authority where alleged irregularities were uncovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBulog staff have not been suspended because they have been proven to\nhave committed a criminal act; they have not. This is a matter of moral\nresponsibility \u2013 the moral responsibility of a superior, a commander and\nthe officials in charge,\u201d Rizal said in Jakarta on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said every manager has a moral responsibility when a problem\noccurs in the area they lead, even if investigators have yet to\nestablish whether that official was directly involved.<\/p>\n
He compared the situation to a regional security leader being held\nresponsible when a major disturbance occurs, even though the leader may\nnot have been the perpetrator or directly involved.<\/p>\n
Alongside the moral responsibility, the temporary suspensions are\npart of Bulog\u2019s commitment to professionalism, allowing the\ninvestigation to proceed objectively and preventing any potential\ninterference by officials who remain in their posts.<\/p>\n
Rizal said officials still holding their positions could potentially\ninfluence the investigation. Their suspension was therefore a preventive\nmeasure to protect the independence of the inquiry, which is currently\nunder way.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the decision did not imply the officials\u2019\ninvolvement, as the legal and investigative processes are continuing\nthrough the mechanisms of the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n
If the investigation finds that officials were not involved and did\nnot co-operate with those responsible, Bulog will restore all their\nemployment rights in accordance with the applicable rules.<\/p>\n
Officials found to have had no involvement will be reassigned to\nequivalent positions, although not necessarily to the same posts they\nheld before their temporary suspension.<\/p>\n
He said the vacant posts must be filled promptly to keep Bulog\u2019s\noperations running normally, rather than waiting for all stages of an\ninvestigation that may require further time and examination to be\ncompleted.<\/p>\n
The administrative measure is also intended to prevent the perception\nthat Bulog is allowing officials to remain at work while an\ninvestigation into alleged irregularities in SPHP distribution is in\nprogress.<\/p>\n
Rizal added that the decision should encourage Bulog personnel to\nstrengthen field supervision, including regular inspections of Rumah\nPangan Kita (RPK), official partners in the government\u2019s SPHP rice\ndistribution programme.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that Bulog is responsible for overseeing RPK outlets,\nfrom verification and physical inspections to monitoring sales in\naccordance with the rules.<\/p>\n
Rizal said he hoped the suspensions, stronger oversight and a\nthorough investigation would improve governance of SPHP rice\ndistribution and maintain public confidence in the government\u2019s\nassignment to Bulog.<\/p>\n
Perum Bulog has suspended six employees in its Jakarta and Banten\nregional office as part of its internal response and further\nexamination.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the instructions of the Agriculture Minister and following a\nBulog directors\u2019 meeting, we decided to suspend six people and issue\nwarning letters to two others, in line with the considerations of the\nhead of the National Food Agency, who is also the Agriculture Minister.\nThis is our responsibility,\u201d Rizal added.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bulog-chief-officials-suspension-reflects-moral-and-professional-responsibility-1793278418", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }