Governor being deprived of malfeasance reports

Governor being deprived of malfeasance reports

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso regretted on Monday the
reluctance of many of his subordinates to report malfeasance
cases in their offices to him.

"I am a bit surprised that you (reporters) frequently ask me
about various bad things taking place in the city administration,
while from my subordinates I don't receive any reports at all,"
he said.

Sutiyoso's comment came in response to reporters' questions
about parking fees, most of which are still far higher than the
official Rp 300 set by the administration despite his instruction
to his subordinates to end the practice.

"I used to think that if my subordinates did not report
anything to me after I instructed them to get rid of something,
it meant everything was all right and everything was running as
well as expected.

"The reality, however, is completely to the contrary to what I
thought, as the bad things were left just the way they were."

The governor admitted that he often first learned about
deviations in the administration from the mass media.

"After that I summon the officials in charge of the related
offices. As they promised to handle the cases thoroughly, I
believed the problems had been solved."

The governor said he would intensify the summoning of his
officials whose offices were rife with malfeasance practices.

He ruled out formally punishing officials found neglecting
their obligations. "By repeatedly summoning them, I think the
officials will feel of being punished."

A member of the United Development Party faction of the City
Council, Saud Rahman, said Sutiyoso's remarks were only to be
expected.

"It's not surprising as the administration's employees are
notorious for their very limited amount of work."

Saud said that ideally officials should keep the governor
well-informed about the happenings in the administration.

"They should have 'sharp eyes and noses' to know the
wrongdoings in their offices and be brave enough to inform the
governor about them," he said.

It is becoming increasingly common to see city employees
reading newspapers or magazines, watching television or chatting
during working hours in their offices.

Some even find time to play table tennis during the day. (ind)