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