Angry Sutiyoso threatens AWOL subordinates

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While Wednesday was officially the first day of work after the week-long Idul Fitri holiday, many civil servants ignored threats of demotion and sanctions to extend their holiday by at least another day.

And even those civil servants who did show up did not seem to be in a working mood, with most chatting with colleagues or playing computer games.

"I am disappointed that so many civil servants are absent. Those absent civil servants have shown a lack of responsibility. I will impose stern sanctions against them, including demoting them," Governor Sutiyoso said during visits to several city agencies on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and Jl. Jatibaru in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

Similar threats were issued days before the end of the Idul Fitri holiday.

At the City Land Office, Sutiyoso found that 67 of 167 civil servants had failed to sign in.

"Please check (whether they have a valid reason for not coming to the office). If they do not have a legitimate excuse, they will be sanctioned," the governor said.

Of the 150 civil servants at City Planning Agency (Bapeda), only 26 were in the office on Wednesday.

"I will only tolerate those people who were unable to come to the office for some valid reason, such as illness or a traffic accident. I will not tolerate those who simply decided they did not want to come to work," Sutiyoso said.

During his visit to Bapeda, Sutiyoso spotted a game on an empty computer.

"Whose computer is that?" Sutiyoso asked.

A clearly nervous head of Bapeda's administrative affairs division, Nugraha K. Yasin, said the computer belonged to an employee who was out of the office on an official duty.

"He (computer owner) is here today, but he is out of the office auditing a financial report in a subdistrict," Nugraha said.

Sutiyoso also ordered all mayors and city agency heads to check on their subordinates.

Accompanied by city secretary Ritola Tasmaya, assistant to the city secretary for development affairs Nurfaqih Wirawan, City Audit Agency head Firman Hutajulu and City Personnel Bureau head Sukesti Martono, Sutiyoso visited the offices of Bapeda, the City Personnel Bureau, the City Parks Agency and the City Transportation Agency.

City Parks Agency head Sarwo Handhayani and City Transportation head Agency Nurrachman were not seen in their offices during the visits.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the City Council's Board of Ethics, Nur Alam Bactir, said at least 19 of 75 city councillors were absent on Wednesday for a variety of reasons, including "traveling abroad, visiting deceased neighbors and attending a relative's party".

"We can only reprimand them. Heavier sanctions can be imposed by the factions they belong to," Nur Alam said.

Last year, 180 civil servants failed to show up for work after the Idul Fitri holiday, receiving sanctions such as allowance cuts.

In 2003, Sutiyoso dismissed City Parks Agency head Maurits Napitupulu after he did not arrive for work after Idul Fitri, replacing him with Sarwo Handhayani.