Double standards impede discipline movement
Double standards impede discipline movement
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has ordered city
administration officials not to apply double standards in the
implementation of the discipline movement, in a bid to make the
program succeed.
Speaking after a presentation on the evaluation of the two-
year-old discipline movement Wednesday evening, Surjadi said that
city officials applying a double standard, namely city officials
who apply discipline while on duty, but change into hoodlums
after work, would hamper the success of the movement.
President Soeharto launched the nationwide discipline movement
on May 26, 1995, in conjunction with the commemoration of
National Awakening Day, to encourage people to use the Indonesian
language correctly and to observe basic elements of discipline.
"The application of double standards will only confuse people,
they don't know who they can really trust," Surjadi told
reporters.
He cited as an example officials who launch operations against
illegal vendors.
"They (officials) should conduct operations consistently,
instead of conducting an operation one day and then letting the
vendors continue their activities on the same sidewalks the very
next day," Surjadi said.
The officials, he said, should not take advantage of people.
He said officials should also be disciplined and be strict in
implementing city regulations.
"They should be capable of making people behave in a more
orderly fashion. They should also make people feel secure and
safe and know that their rights are legally protected," Surjadi
said.
After the meeting, Surjadi ordered all the city's five mayors
to strictly control the implementation of the discipline
movement.
The city's sanitation, he said, has improved since the
launching of the movement. "As proof, all five mayoralties in the
city got Adipura cleanliness awards recently," Surjadi said.
The discipline movement, he said, would not reach expected
goals without full support from city officials and the public.
In a related development, City Council Speaker M.H. Ritonga
said that supervision was the main factor which determined the
success of the discipline movement.
"The current supervision system needs improvement to make all
committed parties support the drive. Appeals are no longer
enough," Ritonga said.
The evaluation of the city's discipline movement was conducted
by an independent team from the University of Indonesia.
The evaluation, which was conducted in the five mayoralties,
covered discipline in traffic, in forming lines, in providing
sanitation facilities and at the workplace.
Results revealed that the main problems in the city's
discipline movement were the lack of awareness about discipline
itself, the lack of supervision and enforcement of discipline and
the lack of steps to encourage discipline attitudes.
Another revelation was the lack of sanctions against
violators. (ste)