Opposition grows over govt plan on pay hike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Respected Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid
\njoined over the weekend the swell of opposition to the
\ngovernment's plan to give sizable raises to senior state and
\ngovernment officials.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish said he did not understand how the government had
\nthe moral courage to ask for such steep raises at a time when the
\nnational economy was mired in crisis and the state budget was in
\ndistress.<\/p>\n
\"The plan is extremely ironic,\" he said, commenting on the
\nproposed pay increases which would raise several times the gross
\nmonthly income of ranking government officials, including the
\nPresident and Vice President, Cabinet ministers, House members
\nand key officials of state agencies.<\/p>\n
Under the proposed plan, the President would be paid Rp 107.4
\nmillion (almost US$15,000) a month, compared to the Rp 33 million
\nhe presently receives, and the Vice President would have her pay
\nbumped up to Rp 89.5 million from the current Rp 22 million.<\/p>\n
Cabinet ministers would see their monthly salaries raised to
\nRp 44.75 million from Rp 5.6 million; House members to Rp 27.6
\nmillion from Rp 5.5 million and provincial governors to Rp 18
\nmillion from Rp 2.3 million.<\/p>\n
The plan also calls for an across-the-board 20 percent
\nincrease in the salaries of civil servants and military and
\npolice personnel beginning in April.<\/p>\n
The planned pay increases for lower-rung civil servants and
\nthe military and police have received strong support, including
\nfrom members of the House.<\/p>\n
Based on the government's current pay structure, the lowest
\nranking civil servants receive as little as Rp 175,000 ($24.30) a
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said last week the government
\nshould give top priority to increasing the salaries of those on
\nthe lower rungs of the civil service and members of the military
\nand police.<\/p>\n
\"The salaries for those on the two lowest rungs of the civil
\nservice should be increased by at least 30 percent, while any
\nraises for senior officials must be contingent on the condition
\nof the budget,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
The planned pay increases will be included in the draft of the
\n2000 budget, which will be submitted to the House on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"Belt-tightening and modest living are the order of the day
\ngiven the depressed state of the economy and the suffering of
\nmillions of people as a result of the impact of the crisis,\"
\nNurcholish said, urging President Abdurrahman Wahid to lead the
\ncampaign for modest living and frugality.<\/p>\n
Most officials who support the planned pay hikes argue that
\nhigher salaries are a precondition to clean governance.<\/p>\n
But Nurcholish said he did not subscribe to the notion that
\nbigger pay checks would stem corruption. \"When it comes to money
\nand material wealth, man never says enough,\" said Nurcholish, who
\nis rector of Paramadinamulya University.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish urged the House to reject the proposed raises for
\nsenior officials. \"The House should instead give an example of
\nfrugality and modest living in solidarity with the majority of
\nthe people who have suffered much during the economic crisis.\"<\/p>\n
Minister of Finance Bambang Sudibyo, who is responsible for
\npreparing the draft budget, refused to confirm or deny whether
\nthe proposed pay hikes would be included in the draft.<\/p>\n
But a senior official involved in preparing the budget told
\nThe Jakarta Post last week that President Abdurrahman Wahid had
\npersonally endorsed the proposal.<\/p>\n
Bambang did say that the salaries of senior government
\nofficials should match those of corporate directors.<\/p>\n
The finance minister said his gross monthly salary of Rp 10
\nmillion was much less than that earned by the central bank
\ngovernor and the chief of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring
\nAgency.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/opposition-grows-over-govt-plan-on-pay-hike-1447893297",
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