Appeal to Silalahi

Appeal to Silalahi

I read with great interest an article in The Jakarta Post on Feb. 2, 1995, page 2 entitled: Officials and their wealth kept in check. Although I read it with great interest, doubts are lingering in my mind whether this is 100 percent true. I never have had any doubt about the political intention of my government to keep everything in check. But surely the Minister will agree that the implementation is still very poor.

People can see officials with three or four cars, having several houses, organizing glittering wedding parties and showing off wealth far above their official income.

Let us take as an example a president director of a state- owned company, with a salary of Rp 6 million a month. His routine expenses for the household and everything is, let's say, Rp 3 million. So every month he can save a clean three million rupiah, or Rp 36 million a year. But what is the reality? After one year in office they have cars, houses and a fat bank account. How is that possible? And do not think that this is only known to a very few. People know, but most of them are apathetic and mind their own business, because they feel that there is not much they can do.

What the Minister said in the beginning, that officials and their wealth are kept in check, is only partially true. He should have said that official's wealth can be kept in check, (according to Presidential Decree No 52/1970, but I do not know for sure whether this decree still exists).

Pak Silalahi can do a lot in creating a clean and efficient bureaucracy. The integrity of an official must be considered as an absolute condition to qualify for a job, because efficiency alone cannot ensure that. Bribery, extortion and nepotism can get a man a job. In most instances there is the official and unofficial procedures-- Procedures going through the "back door" or what we call also the under the table procedure.

There is a lot that we can do by just implementing the existing regulations and not trying to create new ones, which only create more confusion. We know that many regulations lack perfection, but with a strong will we can do a lot.

The President said in a cabinet meeting on Jan. 30, 1970 that objective factors encouraging corruption are, among others, Old Order heritages such as (1) No discipline in the Government ranks and too much interference from the Government in the economic field, (2) A weak Government apparatus, (3) Weak law enforcement agencies, and (4) Weak control.

It is a pity that Pak Silalahi did not elaborate on how or what the Government is doing or going to do to check the illegal growth of the wealth of the officials, and more important what are the results of the Government's efforts in this particular field. I feel that serious steps should be taken to prevent the birth of social jealousy and other more serious social disturbances. And above all I have the impression (hopefully I am wrong) that at present many officials are caught by a dangerous disease called "passion for luxurious living."

I pray that Pak Silalahi will have all the strength he needs to start combating this evil. All eyes full of hope (not only Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam's eyes) are watching you. Good luck!

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta