Mega curbs trips for regional officials<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has issued an instruction that
\nrequires all regional officials, including governors and
\nlegislative council leaders, to seek her consent before going
\nabroad.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Monday the
\npolicy was adopted after the President found that most overseas
\nvisits made by the officials did not contribute to the
\ngovernment's efforts to improve the people's welfare and
\ndevelopment programs in their respective regions.<\/p>\n
\"They visited a certain country for what they called a
\ncomparative study. But that country applies a far different
\nsystem from ours, so what were they comparing?\" Hari said after
\nofficiating the graduation of 621 students of the state-run
\nPublic Administration Institute in its campus in Jatinangor, 60
\nkilometers south of here.<\/p>\n
The instruction comes amid plans by officials and councillors
\nin some provinces to make overseas trips, the latest being
\nmembers of the commission in charge of people's welfare in the
\nEast Java Legislature who will tour some European and Southeast
\nAsian countries between Aug. 25 and Sept. 5.<\/p>\n
Overseas trips by a group of Jakarta councillors and officials
\nto Japan, Australia and South Africa in October 2000 were exposed
\nas a financial sham as some of the funds were disbursed without
\nthe governor's knowledge, while others received funds without
\ntraveling.<\/p>\n
Hari asserted that all regional officials were supposed to
\ntake into consideration the advantages the general public could
\ngain from their trip abroad, not to mention the availability of
\nfunds.<\/p>\n
Under regional autonomy, he said, regional officials play a
\ndominant role in leading their respective regions in successful
\ndevelopment programs.<\/p>\n
\"If they go abroad too frequently, they will sacrifice the
\nspending intended for public services. It's unfair,\" Hari said,
\nadding that regional officials should focus on community
\ndevelopment and people's welfare.<\/p>\n
He said the presidential instruction was parallel to a
\ndirection from top management to its subordinates.<\/p>\n
Megawati has repeatedly complained about the poor achievement
\nof the bureaucracy, which she said usually only provided reports
\nwith the aim of pleasing her. Once she branded her own government
\na trash can for running a poor bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
Within the first year of her tenure, the President made a
\nnumber of visits overseas, which took her to, among other
\ncountries, the United States, Japan, China, India, France and
\nEngland.<\/p>\n
In his response, West Java Legislative Council Speaker Eka
\nSantosa said that although he did not object to the new policy,
\nhe found it confusing.<\/p>\n
\"The instruction stipulates a restriction for government
\nofficials and council leaders. I'm not aware whether or not it
\naffects council members also,\" said Eka, who admitted to
\nreceiving a copy of the instruction two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
But Hari stressed that the regulation included all council
\nmembers. \"How could we ban council leaders but exempt the
\nmembers?\" he said.<\/p>\n
In his address to the public administration institute's
\ngraduates, Hari called for reform in the bureaucratic culture in
\nline with democratization.<\/p>\n
\"We can reform our bureaucratic culture through improvement of
\nthe system and the human resources,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The country's bureaucracy, he added, had yet to move away from
\nthe old culture that turned bureaucrats into masters rather than
\nservants of the public.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mega-curbs-trips-for-regional-officials-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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