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."