1,041 civil servants told to play in one field, or go
1,041 civil servants told to play in one field, or go
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State Minister for Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin on Monday
called on 1,041 civil servants to resign from their jobs, as it
has been discovered that they had become members of various
political parties.
Feisal said those civil servants, who were mostly lecturers at
state-owned universities, should be fired if they refused to
resign voluntarily.
"If they refuse to resign, their superiors should fire them,"
Feisal told reporters here on Monday.
He called on those civil servants to decide whether to uphold
jobs as civil servants or become politicians.
"They can no longer play in two fields. They should choose,"
he stressed.
He claimed that his call was consistent with Government
Regulation No. 5/1999 on Civil Servants who become members of
political parties.
According to Article 8 (2) of the regulation, which was signed
by former president B.J. Habibie, civil servants should decide
their stance within three months of becoming a member of a
political party.
Feisal said before the regulation was applied, there were
about 10,000 civil servants who were members of or held executive
posts at various political parties.
According to the latest data, he said, the number of civil
servants who were confirmed to be members of political parties
reached 1,041.
"We will issue a new, stricter regulation on civil servants,"
Feisal said.
The 1,041 civil servants are still believed to be receiving
monthly basic salaries ranging from between Rp 600,000 (US$92)
and Rp 1.2 million.
Feisal did not mention names of those who had refused to
resign from their jobs as civil servants.
Well-known civil servant turned politicians
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Name political party former employer
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1. Amien Rais National Mandate Party Gadjah Mada University
2. Yusril Ihza Crescent and Star Party University of Indonesia
Mahendra
3. Hidayat Justice and Welfare Party Syarief Hidayatullah
Nurwahid Islamic University
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