Bima Mayor Clarifies Wife's Appointment, Denies Brother-in-Law's Inauguration
The Mayor of Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, A Rahman H Abidin, has denied allegations that he appointed both his wife and brother-in-law to official positions. He clarified that only his wife was appointed, a move he claims was in accordance with regulations and had received approval from the National Civil Service Agency (BKN).
Rahman stated that the appointment of his wife, Badrah Ekawati, as Secretary of the Bima City Health Office on Wednesday (1/7), followed applicable mechanisms and obtained technical approval from the BKN. "There is already a technical regulation permit from the BKN. Without it, we could not have carried out the appointment; the region’s civil service rights could be frozen," said Aji Man, his nickname, in Mataram, NTB, on Wednesday (8/7).
He explained that his wife has been a state civil apparatus (ASN) for 33 years and has held an administrator position (echelon III) since 2016, long before he served as Mayor of Bima. According to Rahman, Badrah was previously removed from her structural position and made a staff member after he lost the 2018 regional election. Therefore, the appointment was a restoration to her previous position, not a promotion to a higher rank.
"My wife has been at echelon III since 2016. But because I lost the 2018 election, my wife was then removed from her job and became a staff member. I am now restoring her previous position, not promoting her to echelon II," he said. He added that his wife has climbed the career ladder as an ASN, from staff to section head, to field head, and back to an administrator position in accordance with ASN career development regulations.
Aji Man also denied reports claiming he appointed his brother-in-law, M Auwalyah, as Head of the General Affairs Division of the Bima City Regional Secretariat. He claimed he has no brother-in-law relationship with Auwalyah. Regarding the appointment of his cousin, Aji Man did not provide an explanation. "As for appointing a brother-in-law, there is no brother-in-law. So, that is slander," he asserted.
He regretted the circulation of information on social media claiming he appointed several family members without confirmation, as it could create misperceptions among the public. "Well, I just take the wisdom from all these events," he said.
Previously, the Bima City Government provided an explanation regarding Mayor Aji Man’s appointment of his wife and family members as officials. The family members appointed were his wife as Secretary of the Bima City Health Office, his brother-in-law as Head of the General Affairs Division of the Bima City Regional Secretariat, and his cousin named Irwansyah as Head of the Goods and Services Procurement Division of the Bima City Regional Secretariat. The Bima City Government emphasised that the appointment was made simultaneously with 87 other officials based on a meritocracy system.
"It was carried out solely to meet organisational needs while improving the effectiveness of governance and public services," said Bima City Government Spokesperson, Muhammad Hasyim, in a press release to detikBali on Friday (3/7). Hasyim revealed that the entire process of filling positions and every official appointment was carried out through civil service mechanisms and statutory regulations. The assessment was also based on competence, qualifications, experience, track record, integrity, and organisational needs, not on any considerations outside the regulations.