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)