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 ------------------------------------------------------------------

Name political party former employer ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------