The governor's new clothes<\/p>\n
What could Rp 105 million -- the equivalent of about US$7,500
\n-- buy in this time of crisis in Jakarta? Some 35,000 kilograms
\nof rice, perhaps, or more than 17,000 kgs of cooking oil, or
\n4,200 one-liter cans of milk, or 43,750 kgs of sugar. Even at the
\ncurrent inflated prices, Rp 105 million could do a lot to relieve
\nthe hardships of those who are suffering the most in the ongoing
\neconomic crisis.<\/p>\n
With that kind of money, hospitals would be able to at least
\npartly resupply their dwindling stocks of medicines. Schools
\nwould be able to repair or maintain their run-down buildings, or
\nhelp pupils whose parents have become too poor to pay their
\nschool fees. Or, of course, it could be used to buy new clothes
\nfit for a governor of Jakarta, which is after all the capital of
\nIndonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest and most populous country.<\/p>\n
Considering the value that such an amount of money represents
\nto the great majority of Indonesians in this time of hardship,
\ncredit must be given to Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso who has had the
\ngood judgment to order the official Rp 105 million dress
\nallowance which is allotted to him under the current fiscal
\nyear's city budget to be scrapped.<\/p>\n
The money would have enabled the governor to buy an official
\ngovernor's uniform, two city administration uniforms, two civil
\nsecurity uniforms and state employee uniforms. In addition,
\nSutiyoso also ordered his city secretary to trim other expenses
\nallocated under the city budget for his position, including
\nexpenses for the governor's household totaling Rp 8.2 billion for
\nthe current fiscal year.<\/p>\n
As Sutiyoso said, "I've already bought two coats. That should
\nbe enough for any official ceremonies. Besides, I can still use
\nthe clothes I had before I was appointed governor." The governor
\neven went a step further by asking his subordinates to follow his
\nexample and reduce their spending on official clothing.<\/p>\n
By making this timely decision, Sutiyoso incidentally, has
\naverted the kind of caustic public criticism that other high-
\nechelon government officials have endured. Early this month, for
\nexample, West Java Governor Nuriana was asked to trim his Rp 100
\nmillion annual budget for official apparel and his Rp 275 million
\nbudget for the maintenance of his official cars.<\/p>\n
Such instances of bureaucratic extravagance might remind many
\nof us of a few similar cases that got caught in the public
\nspotlight in the not-so-distant past and might have been
\nforgotten in the din of more recent developments. We still don't
\nknow, for example, what happened to the proposed building of a
\nmultibillion rupiah mansion for Central Java's provincial
\ngovernor, or to the planned construction of a Rp 1 billion
\nswimming pool in the backyard of a government administrator in
\nBekasi, east of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
But if such huge sums are allotted for top regional officials
\nin Jakarta and West Java, it would only be reasonable to assume
\nthat governors and other top-ranking administrators and
\nbureaucrats elsewhere must be getting similar facilities.<\/p>\n
In the kind of feudalistic reasoning that was common among New
\nOrder authorities of the Soeharto era, high-ranking officials
\ndeserved to have their authority demonstrated by tangible tokens
\nof their lofty status.<\/p>\n
In the more democratic and populist climate that prevails at
\npresent, however, it should be obvious where the priorities must
\nlie. A provincial governor and all the bureaucrats that serve
\nunder him are first and foremost public servants whose duty it is
\nto look after the interests of the people under their
\njurisdiction. Their first duty is to look after the people's
\nwelfare and their general well-being.<\/p>\n
Of course, it is reasonable to expect that bureaucrats, like
\nother functionaries in office, public or private, properly look
\nafter their personal appearance. But it is the performance of
\ntheir duties that distinguishes the successful official from the
\nunsuccessful. Clothes, by themselves, do not make the man.
\nWithout the ability to perform, an official, however high his
\nofficial status, might just as well be naked.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-governors-new-clothes-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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