Govt to issue ruling on civil servants rights today<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is set to issue on Tuesday a
\ndecree that will \"ensure\" civil servants' neutrality. The ruling,
\na result of weeks of haggling among House factions, will end once
\nand for all the deadlocked deliberation on the political bills in
\ntime for the Jan. 28 deadline.<\/p>\n
Director General of Public Administration and Regional
\nAutonomy Ryaas Rasyid on Monday, citing an agreement between the
\ngovernment and the House of Representatives' Working Committee
\ndeliberating the bill on political parties, said the decree was
\nto be issued on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"The political bills are scheduled to be endorsed on Jan. 28,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
Ryaas said the new regulation \"guarantees\" the 4.1 million
\ncivil servants' neutrality. Out of respect for their political
\nrights, however, it will not ban them from entering political
\nparties, he said.<\/p>\n
The decree is considered by the government to be a compromise
\nfor the two contending factions in the House. The dominant Golkar
\nhad demanded that civil servants be allowed to join political
\nparties, citing human rights reasons.<\/p>\n
The bureaucrats were in the past Golkar's staunchest
\nsupporters in winning five consecutive general elections.<\/p>\n
The United Development Party (PPP), leery of past
\nmanipulations of civil servants by Golkar, fought against the
\nmotion. In this case, the PPP was supported by the government
\nrepresentatives, the Armed Forces (ABRI) and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
The stalemate had at once stage threatened the deliberation of
\nthe bill on political parties, which is expected to lay the
\ngroundwork for the June 7 elections.<\/p>\n
\"Civil servants are in principle neutral, regardless of their
\nrank. They are allowed to be members and functionaries of
\npolitical parties only if they take three years unpaid leave, or
\nquit their job,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said civil servants who took the unpaid leave were freed of
\ntheir daily tasks and positions. During their absence, they were
\nbarred from doing anything relating to their tasks in the
\nbureaucracy.<\/p>\n
The government and House factions eventually agreed to drop
\nthe issue from the draft law and, instead, cover it in the
\ngovernment regulation whose contents are expected to be in
\naccordance with the 1974 Law on Civil servants.<\/p>\n
\"Neither will the new ruling contradict the 1976 presidential
\ndecree which bars government officials from being active in
\npolitical parties, including Golkar,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"According to the presidential decree, government officials
\nare obliged to get leave from their superiors if they want to
\nparticipate in political parties,\" he said. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-issue-ruling-on-civil-servants-rights-today-1447893297",
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