BKKBN staff face uncertainty

TANGERANG: Hundreds of employees of the Tangerang National Family Planning Coordination Body (BKKBN) are concerned about the central office's announcement that from June the office would be fully under the authority of the local administration.

When The Jakarta Post visited the BKKBN office in Cikokol, Tangerang municipality, on Friday, several employees voiced concern, saying they faced uncertainty because the regency administration could close down the office and they could lose their jobs.

"We are all worried as we have not been informed about our fate," one staff member told the Post.

According to Law No. 22/1999 on regional autonomy, the central government should hand over some of its authority to regional administrations, including those pertaining to family planning and population control, which was previously handled by the central BKKBN office.

"The regency administration regards the BKKBN unimportant, meaning it could close the office and our fate would be uncertain," another employee said.

The Tangerang regency BKKBN's family planning and reproduction department chief M. Harsyimi said he was aware that the employees were uneasy about the possibility of losing their jobs.

"We're still waiting for the regency's decision on the issue," he said, adding that his office's status was being considered by the regency administration.

He said, however, that the BKKBN office was still needed to control population growth in Tangerang, which has three million people.

Separately, regency administration spokesman Maman Soetoyo said last Saturday that the administration had yet to decide on the fate of the 256 BKKBN employees in the regency.