Civil servants air their thoughts on politics

Civil servants air their thoughts on politics

JAKARTA (JP): The people's long-time demand for civil servants
to keep their distance from political organizations gained a new
momentum with the fall of the New Order in May last year.

Civil servants, whose number is estimated at five million,
have played a decisive role in helping the dominant political
group Golkar win every election in the past. Their jobs dealing
with a vast range of public services made it very easy for them
to drive as many people as possible into voting for Golkar.

Several active government employees shared their views on the
controversy with The Jakarta Post recently.

An official at the Jakarta municipality's Regional Economic
Bureau (Binekda) said that if it was up to him, he would do away
with his political rights since they did not represent what he
thought or felt.

Rusdi, not his real name, has worked for the city
administration since 1969 and is known for his hard-working
nature and meticulous behavior in handling paperwork. He said
that in all his years as a civil servant, he could not recall one
name of a colleague who had dared vote against Golkar.

"We work for the government, by the government's rules. Can
you blame us for fearing it?" the official said.

"The government only believed in one political group. That
party made money out of us and was the party that formerly ran
the government. Do not let it make you believe otherwise."

A nine-year-civil servant of a low IIa rank at the East
Jakarta Land and Building Tax Office, said that six general
elections had seen him voting for the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI).

"If my superiors find out about this, they will really hassle
me," the land official, Hadi, also not a real name, said.

"For six elections, I voted for PDI with the exception of 1997
when Megawati was ousted as leader. Then I voted for the United
Development Party (PPP). After all, PDI was not PDI without
Megawati."

Endang Sulastri, a civil servant of a state-owned enterprise,
said that she would rather concentrate on earning enough money
than "worry about politics".

"I don't like talking about politics... still, I'd always
support the political right to vote for any party the civil
servant wants to," Endang said.

"If my superiors tell me that I am free to choose any party
but pressurize me to vote for Golkar, I'll vote for golongan
putih (a group of people who refuse to exercise their rights to
vote)."

Sudarman, a member of staff of the Ministry of People's
Welfare, said that he believed political rights were important
but that there was no need to become a "member of any political
party" since it would interfere with work.

"There has never been till date the political freedom of
choice for us civil servants. I expect a lot from this reform
era," Sudarman said.

Agustus Sani Nugroho, an officer at a state agency who spoke
for himself and colleagues, said that he could not care less if
they were members of Korpri, the Indonesian Civil Servants Corps.

"We and our institution need total independence. So, we have
to be independent from any influence, including from that of
Korpri, Golkar or whatever it is," Agustus said.

"If we are still told to do this and that by people outside, I
think we will not respect this institution... might as well get
out of it."

A fifty-three-year-old Pudji Astuti, a spokesperson for the
Ministry of Manpower, said she had enjoyed a flying career in the
bureaucracy "under the auspices of Golkar", but insisted that
civil servants should distance themselves from political
activities.

"Such involvement in political parties will only interfere
with civil servants' dedication to the public," the school of
psychology graduate said.

"Korpri does not belong to any political group or parties,"
she added.

Anal Barren Seagull, 45, a staffer of the security office at
the Jakarta administration, said that civil servants and ABHOR
members should be excluded from politics because they were
especially recruited to dedicate themselves to the state.

"Civil servants should be barred from being involved in
politics because they are 'state employees.' This prohibition is
not only because of Golkar's sins in the past but also in
accordance with the jobs civil servants have to do," he said,
adding that their involvement in politics would certainly pose
many new problems such as divisive and discriminatory public
service.

He called on the government to lift the 1976 government
regulation on civil servants' membership in Golkar because it had
been manipulated by the ruling group to abuse civil servants in
the past.

"The ruling which requires civil servants active in political
parties to get official permission from their superior assumes
that civil servants do not play a role in politics. But, the
regulation has been manipulated as evidenced by the fact that
all civil servants have been forced to be Golkar members and to
vote for the political grouping in general elections in the
past," he said.

Lukman Harun, Golkar legislator and a leader of the
Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, feels that voting must be done
if not at village, then at district levels.

This way, he said, the people's aspirations would still be
"represented."

When asked if it was through this way that Golkar got its
aspirations fulfilled, he said that it was "rubbish," adding that
he could guarantee a majority of the masses would vote for PPP
and PDI.

"They (the people) are reformed masses now. They no longer
adhere to the New Order system... even Golkar has taken upon the
reform path," Lukman said.

"It is so sad that the other major parties are fighting
against the voice of the people."