Civil servants' salary cuts

Civil servants' salary cuts

From Pikiran Rakyat

I am writing in response to reports in Pikiran Rakyat on March 18 and March 19 regarding the contribution of basic salaries to alleviate the economic burden borne by the people. The President himself has given the example by donating his salary for one year.

The ministers, governors and civil servants of group IV have also been urged to contribute their basic salaries for one year.

The people know that ministers and other high-ranking officials will be able to relinquish their basic salaries. They get facilities the value of which exceeds these. However, the group IV civil servants have no other income than their salaries and are not in a position to make a contribution.

Apparently, the boards of directors and employees of state- owned companies are paid according to a different pay scale than the one applied to civil servants. Yusuf Syakir, a legislator of the United Development Party faction, is quite right in that civil servants do not enjoy the same scale of remunerations.

Here follows an example. A junior high school teacher, group IV according to the civil servants' salary scale, having worked 39 years, receives in March 1998 a net salary of Rp 747,600. His basic salary is Rp 617,600. If he has to contribute his basic salary, his take-home pay amounts to Rp 130,000. He and his family will end up in misery.

The government expects contributions from business tycoons. Prayogo Pangestu has set the example. Who will follow?

Two hundred business tycoons each contributing Rp 1 billion will yield Rp 200 billion. It will be largely adequate, for the time being, to help out the poor.

H.O. SUDARDJA

Padalarang, West Java