Civil service flunkers upset

TANGERANG (JP): Hundreds of Tangerang mayoralty contract employees who flunked the civil service entry examination protested on Friday the alleged demand for bribes to earn a passing grade.

They complained that only six of 382 contract employees who took the test passed. All of those who passed were senior high school graduates.

One of the protesters, a university graduate who has worked in the mayoralty for six years, said he met all the necessary requirements to become a civil servant except he failed the test.

"There is also another university graduate who has worked for 12 years but wasn't selected."

Another employee said: "I have tried the test five times, but did not pass it. The problem is I do not have the money for bribes so I could not pass the test."

It is reportedly common practice for test takers to pay off officials in order to pass.

Head of the mayoralty's public relations section, Harry Mulya Zein, adamantly denied that bribery persisted. He said the recruitment system was now handled directly by officials of the West Java administration in Bandung so that the mayoralty had less authority over the recruitment.

"The Tangerang mayoralty should ideally be given greater autonomy to set its own budget, procure its equipment and other supplies and recruit employees."

Harry regretted the demonstration and said the test grading was computerized, making it extremely difficult to fix.

He said the actual number of mayoralty employees, which reached 4,041, was still far from enough to serve about 1.4 million Tangerang residents.

"Ideally an employee serves 100 people," he said. (41/ind)