Information ministry employees face uncertain future
JAKARTA (JP): Ministry of Information employees across the country were in an uproar over the government's decision to abolish the department.
The 55,000 employees of the ministry came to work on Wednesday feeling uncertain about their future.
Most reacted calmly, but some, however, immediately expressed discontent, with threats of a pending mass employee demonstration.
They expressed aversion to the government's move, saying that they were sacrificed for political motives.
The ministry's Director General for General Affairs Soedarjanto urged employees to remain patient and calm as they would be channeled into other government bodies in the near future.
However, even as meetings were held with senior ministry officials to find a solution, 5,000 employees at the ministry's office on Jl. Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, threatened to hold a demonstration on Thursday, rejecting the ministry's abolition.
The ministry's spokesman, Eddy Noer, said on Wednesday the employees demanded the government build a new information body which could be called the National Information body.
He said they also rejected being transferred to other ministries since they would not fit in with employees of that ministry.
"If needed, we will hold a big rally at the State Palace so our demands are heard," he said.
Eddy also regretted the actions of outgoing information minister Muhammad Yunus for not meeting his employees and giving them an explanation.
"Yunus is the person who is responsible for the abolition. He is the first person who talked about the ministry being ... abolished," he said.
The Ministry of Information and Ministry of Social Affairs were not mentioned when President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri announced the new Cabinet list on Tuesday.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said on Wednesday that the city administration was ready to accept about 580 employees from the ministry.
"We are still awaiting guidance from the central government," Sutiyoso said.
But he said the administration would place the employees in city offices according to employees' skills.
He said some employees who could not be employed would be offered early pensions.
Meanwhile, President Abdurrahman ordered on Wednesday State Minister of State Administrative Reforms Rear Adm. Freddy Numberi to find the best solution for the thousands of civil servants from the two abolished ministries.
Freddy said the government would post the employees from the Ministry of Information and Ministry of Social Services to other ministries or state agencies, although he acknowledged that it would be difficult to accommodate all of them.
"Please give me time to resolve this issue," Freddy said after meeting with Abdurrahman at the State Guest House.
Separately in Central Java, about 3,000 staff members from the ministry's provincial office also threatened to conduct street protests if the President continued with his plan to abolish the office.
"We are being sacrificed by the President without any consideration about what will happen to us," said an employee, Wardjito, in Semarang.
In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, employees of the ministry's office there said they were in shock.
"This came out of nowhere, we never thought the President and Vice President would do such a thing," Ulbadus Gogi, head of the local information division, said.
Jerry Pelokila, the head of the administration department of the ministry's provincial office, said the reason behind the move was political revenge.
"I think there are strong political sentiments against us because during the New Order era the ministry was always used as a tool to disseminate their propaganda," he said.
"During our morning gathering, I called on all employees to pray that God can help the President to change his mind," Pelokila told Antara. (jun/har/prb)