Debate of public service bill begins

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

According to a new bill, better times are ahead for hard-pressed members of the public trying to access public services.

The government says the bill provides a ray of hope that major changes for the better will be instituted within the country's public service, long condemned as been corrupt and unresponsive.

State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi and the House of Representatives home affairs commission commenced the deliberation of the bill on Wednesday.

A number of provisions in the bill will be controversial, including the possibility of public servant becoming active in political parties.

Article 7 of the bill says that public servants are prohibited from participating in business and/or political organizations unless otherwise provided for by law.

The "unless" part is seen as opening up the possibility of public servants being allowed to joni political parties --something that is prohibited by the current Political Parties Law due to concerns of partiality in the providing of public services.

The debate on public servants joining political parties has resurfaced after Vice President Jusuf Kalla, also the chairman of the country's largest party, Golkar, said the idea should not be completely ruled out of hand.

Article 27 of the bill says that providers can set prices for their services provided that this is done in accordance with law.

"It has to be stressed that this should only be permissible for services provided by state-owned enterprises that are required to be profitable. But I don't want this to be applicable to the provision of basic human rights, such as ID card registration," said lawmaker Suryama Majana Sastra from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Another contentious point is article 28, which says that the cost of things as ID cards and birth certificates shall be covered by the state, but additional costs may also be possible due to the differing financial capacities of local administrations.

The bill requires all service providers to a establish service standards, including application procedures, time targets, fees, complaint procedures and service guarantees.

Complaint procedures, says the bill, must clearly explain the who, where and how, and the resolution of all complaint should be reported to the minister.

The bill also allows members of the public to personally or collectively sue providers who provide unsatisfactory services or abuse their powers.