Civil servants' pay

Civil servants' pay

As President Soeharto remarked, the government is aware of the
fact that the monthly pay received by civil servants is
inadequate. Nevertheless, the President said, this should not be
used as a pretext for corruption or for unrightfully wanting to
own other people's property. The government is continually trying
to improve the welfare of civil servants.

We agree with President Soeharto that even if the salaries of
civil servants were raised, the amount would always be felt to be
insufficient. Therefore, as the President said, one needs to
develop the art of making ends meet. As can be observed, one of
the reasons our people are able to survive under difficult
circumstances is our ability to find infinite means to survive.

We greatly appreciate President Soeharto's admission that our
civil servant salaries are insufficient. It signals that the
government will continue to think of means to improve the
situation. This is good news. Any increase is welcome, however
small.

-- Pikiran Rakyat, Bandung