Bureaucrats told to tighty

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After repeated criticisms of bureaucratic excess, the government on Wednesday issued a set of instructions aimed at reducing what they deemed to be unnecessary consumption.

But the instructions, said to be motivated primarily by frugality, often seemed more stingy than thrifty.

Rather than focusing on eliminating well-publicized multi- million financial leaks in government expenditure and projects, the instructions, issued by the State Minister of Administrative Reforms, took pains to place limits on stationery use and to set out typing guidelines designed to save on paper.

The instructions also stipulated guidelines for modest living among state officials and ministries, a bit of a throw back to the "tighten your belt" rhetoric of the New Order era, which included toning down office anniversaries to mere flag raising ceremonies as parties were now strictly prohibited.

The dress code for state officials was also toned down for most occasions, from the customary suit-and-tie to short or long sleeved dress shirts to at least give the impression of modesty.

The instructions, contained in the state ministry's regulation No. 357/2001, were unveiled after State Minister for Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin met with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and got her final nod of approval on Wednesday.

According to Feisal, the instructions, formally issued on Monday, were designed to enhance efficiency in all government offices.

Feisal added that, as the country's economic woes continued, state officials and civil servants should be in tune with the people by projecting a simpler lifestyle.

He insisted that stern measures would be imposed on those who disregarded the instructions, while claiming that punishments could range from a verbal warning to dismissal.

"The President totally agrees with these instructions and asked for a rigorous implementation," Feisal said, adding that the president also called for a clearly defined mechanism to oversee the implementation of the instructions.

"From now on, all government officials should only wear their work outfit, unless there are special occasions that necessitate suits," Feisal said, while failing to mention if clothing allowances for top officials would be cut.

He further said that there would be close scrutiny of the use of other state-owned appliances such as cars and telephones, which could only be used for official purposes.

It is unclear if this means that bureaucrats would then not be allowed to call home while at the office.

"All official cars must be kept in the office garage, while the use of paper will be limited," he said.

What might be puzzling to many is that a number of the instructions stipulated are measures that should have been common practice anyway.

One example is the stipulation that out of town trips should only be undertaken for "important" business and with a limited entourage. This begs the question: Aren't official state-funded trips already supposed to be undertaken only for important business and only with key personnel taking part?

The instructions also stress that they are to be applied equally to regional officials, something that seemed to be overlooked when the Jakarta City Administration submitted its 2002 budget last week complete with a whopping Rp 25 million increase in the governor's personal clothing allowance.

Governor Sutiyoso now has Rp 65 million to ensure he is the best dressed governor in the country.

While it may give the impression that officials are trying to adopt a more simple lifestyle, overall it is not immediately clear how these instructions will really save government money.

Based on the 2002 state budget, there seems to be little connection between the frugality in this sector and the more than Rp 61 trillion (US$6billion) allocated for personal, material and "other current" expenditures.

The amount is a slight increase on the previous year.

A ministry official working in one of the departments told The Jakarta Post that expenses related to items such as telephones, official vehicles and stationery, along with official visits, usually consume almost 50 percent of the department's total routine expenditure.

The official, who asked not to be named, also noted that former president Abdurrahman Wahid had issued regulations for limiting expenses, but they did little to put a dent in overall spending.

Furthermore it is extremely rare for a department not to consume the total amount of funds allocated to it in a fiscal cycle, making surpluses very rare in the bureaucracy's budget.