Civil servants' productivity

Civil servants' productivity

From Rakyat Merdeka

An article titled President's officials at echelon I to work better published in Rakyat Merdeka recently has not only surprised me but aroused my curiosity as well. The warning was conveyed by the President to some state officials at the opening of a national coordination meeting at the Department of Forestry some time ago.

Law No 43/1999 stipulates that one of the requirements for state high-ranking officials at echelon I or II is that they must be a career-minded, with both technical and managerial qualifications and dignity.

A civil servant (PNS) has a commitment to stay away from political affiliations, or to remain politically neutral. Thus it is crystal clear that officials at echelons I and II do not have any intention to "boycott" the policy of their minister as their top manager because many policies originate from his subordinates and are made with due consideration.

Nowadays we have many ministers that have come from various political parties and who forget to strip off their political mantle once they become ministers.

Based on the remarks of State Minister for Administrative Reforms Faisal Tamin, who once said that only 40 per cent of civil servants were considered productive, they should respond to Mega's warning positively. It is high time we improved the management of the government.

F.X. INDRATNO, Bekasi, West Java