Bad public

Bad public
officials must go

From Koran Tempo

Some people with a preconceived notion of President Megawati
Soekarnoputri must have cynically looked upon her request that
public officials incapable of carrying out their duties resign.
Few public officials realize that they are not fit for their
positions.

It must be borne in mind, however, that this request came from
the President of the country and will therefore have an
administrative effect on the evaluation of public officials. I
believe we will shortly see changes in strategic positions in
order to ensure that qualified and professional people will be
put in the right jobs.

In this context, it is advisable that public officials who
realize that they are not fit for their job tender their
resignations. True that this is a rare occurrence in Indonesia,
but a public official will show real heroism if he gives up his
job because he realizes he is not up to it.

President Megawati's statement is a groundbreaking development
for the practice of giving up your job when you are unable to
fulfill its requirements. A public official who resigns because
he knows he is not up to his job is a true hero of the reform
movement.

Let's just wait and see how public officials respond to the
President's request.

SUMARDI

Surabaya