Civil servants'salaries

Civil servants'salaries

From Media Indonesia

I learned with dismay that, according to Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, the government can not pay civil servants well. Meanwhile many civil servants can afford an affluent life.

In my opinion, civil servants can be categorized as follows:

1. Those who do not abuse their positions and power. Their families cannot earn a living. These civil servants live miserably.

2. Those who do not abuse their power, but they and/or their families can earn extra in a respectable way. Such civil servants can live fairly well and can make ends meet.

3. Those who live an extravagant life through corrupt practices and power abuse. Or their families run businesses supported by the officials' positions.

With the prevalence of corruption and abuse of power, leakages of the state budget is estimated to reach 30 percent. To avoid this the number of civil servants should be reduced to only one- third of the present number. Then civil servants' salaries could be improved. Once the salaries are improved, supervision should be exercised tightly enough to prevent the employees from doing things that would make the state suffer losses.

It must also be noted that the highest salary should be only 20 times more than the lowest salary, to ensure that justice prevails.

PRAMONO MARGONO

Jakarta