Leaders are judged by what they produce

I would like to refer to You are not what you drive: Hidayat on the Headlines section of The Jakarta Post of Oct. 15.

Without the intention to belittle the noble idea of Bapak Hidayat to show sensitivity in time of crisis, I agree with the writer that the credibility of all elected leaders will be judged by what they produce, not by what they promote.

Benefits and perks come with the territory and there are no meaningful justifications to abolish these rightful benefits as long as the recipients do what they are supposed to do, which is no doubt very tough and stressful.

A drastic measure as such will not benefit the country significantly, but will rather be counter productive as highly qualified and brilliant individuals needed to fill the ministerial positions will not work for unattractive remuneration packages despite the good intentions they may have.

Disciplinary measures, such as responsible use and return of official vehicles at the end of one's tenure of service, may be more sensible and should be strictly enforced. Therefore, at least in this matter, you are indeed what you drive, although whether you are successful or not will be determined only by the quality of your service.

S W. TJAHJONO, Jakarta