Govt warns errant employees

JAKARTA: The government will no longer tolerate undisciplined civil servants, and all inspector generals at ministries and government institutions have been instructed to improve supervision and close up any loopholes to stop irregularities, an official said on Thursday.

State Minister of Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin said the officials had to urgently follow up on all irregularities uncovered recently by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).

"There should be no more irregularities that cause losses to the state. Internal affairs officials have to make sure of that.

"I've told them to uphold the law and all regulations, including on civil servants' discipline," he said after a meeting with the inspector generals at his office.

Feisal instructed the inspector generals to regularly submit progress reports on their investigations and record the names of those involved, especially if they were high-ranking officials. The reports are needed for evaluating employees for promotion, he said.

According to BPK's report, at least 1,643 irregularities in the use of Rp 3.2 trillion (US$323 million) of state funds were uncovered in 2000 and another 290 cases in the use of Rp 518.3 billion were found in the first six months of this year.

BPKP found that in 2000 and the first half of 2001 there were 9,656 irregularities in the use of state funds valued at Rp 10.3 trillion.

"Out of the total findings, only 4,690 cases, involving Rp 3.9 trillion, have been resolved so far," he added. -- JP