and pls see in green: I thought the National desk decided his

and pls see in green: I thought the National desk decided his
name was spelled Taufik. Which is correct?

and in blue: is minister's office right, or is it the commission?

;JP;MTR;CD;
ANPAa..r..
Minister-Corrupt-pledge
Minister to get tough on errant civil servants
JP/4/Kontrak

Minister to get tough on errant civil servants

M. Taufiqurrahman
and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Civil servants still have two months to mess up before the
performance contracts they signed with the Office of the State
Minister of Administrative Reforms take effect in January 2005.

State Minister of Administrative Reforms Taufiq Effendi said
on Friday that starting early next year, government agencies that
provide direct services to the public would be given one month to
improve their performance or face punishment.

"Government agencies have to improve their services during
that period. There will be rewards for those who improve their
performance. On the other hand, errant agencies will be
punished," Taufiq announced.

The contracts require all civil servants and government
officials to fight corruption, collusion and nepotism and improve
their services.

There are about five million civil servants, half of whom are
teachers.

He said that errant civil servants would face the law if found
to be in breach of regulations or involved in corruption.

The office of the state minister signed an agreement with the
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on assessing the
performance of government agencies. The agreement gives the
minister's office authority to pursue litigation against errant
civil servants according to prevailing regulations sanctioning
the agencies.

Taufiq said the first government institution to work according
to the performance contract was the Jakarta Police.

"We have given the Jakarta Police one month to improve their
services," he said, adding that public service in the Jakarta
Police was among the worst.

Motorists face bureaucratic red-tape in obtaining driver's
licenses and vehicle ownerships documents and out of frustration
they opt to use the services of the ever-present middlemen.

Taufiq said that other government agencies that had signed
contracts were immigration offices around the country under the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights' Directorate General for
Immigration.

"Soon, the performance improvement drive will target offices
of regional administrations and hospitals throughout the
country," he said.

He said the contracts would be more effective than raids
against errant officials or frequent impromptu visits made by
high-ranking state officials.

"Such methods only humiliate civil servants, but they don't
dissuade them from repeating the same bad behavior," he said.

In a related development, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
reiterated his commitment to fighting corruption and other
irregularities.

"I declare war against corruption, collusion, nepotism,
inefficiency, leakages and other irregularities ... and the law
will be upheld in the case of those who continue to engage in the
various bad practices of the past," Susilo said.