Life gets slower for civil servants
Life gets slower for civil servants
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Bendungan Hilir subdistrict office was half-empty on Friday,
two days before the Idul Fitri holiday.
Of the office's 15 staff members, only seven were at work,
while the other eight had already gone on holiday. Those who were
at work walked aimlessly around the office or sat without
averting their gaze from an old Indian movie on television.
"Pak Lurah (subdistrict head) left after Friday prayers to
visit a relative, and the guy who collects electricity bills
closed his counter before prayers," said Syarifuddin, one of a
few employees who opted to stay at the office, apparently to
avoid the midday sun.
The Minister of Religious Affairs, Minister of Manpower and
Transmigration and State Minister for Administrative Reform had
issued a joint decree declaring the Idul Fitri holiday would fall
on Nov. 14 and 16, and recommending an extension of the holiday
to include Nov. 17 and Nov. 19.
The policy was introduced in the wake of the Oct. 12, 2002
Bali bombings with the aim of rejuvenating the tourist industry.
The move was also aimed at encouraging civil servants, who
often skip work on the days before and after holidays, to change
their behavior.
Pleased with its effectiveness, the government maintained the
policy until the current holiday season.
In reality, the expected result was anything but what the
government had wanted, as life gets slower for public servants
before and after the designated holiday period.
Syarifuddin defended his colleagues' early leave by saying
that there was not much they could do at work. "There were less
and less people coming to our office to get ID cards," he said.
Similar conditions were observed at the Tanah Abang tax
collection office in Central Jakarta, where only a handful of
staff members were receiving payments from taxpayers.
Only one employee was on standby in the registration booth.
An employee said that a large number of employees had taken
leave for the Idul Fitri holiday. "The remaining personnel are
those who works in shifts," he said.
The same scenario will likely occur in the first few days
after the holiday.
"Although the government decreed that the extended holiday
would last until Nov. 20, I believe that the bureaucracy will
function as usual in early December," said Bambang Haryadi, head
of West Jakarta municipality's civil service department.
He said that, although public servants would register their
attendance on the designated date, they would, according to
custom, take time out to meet their colleagues to ask for
forgiveness.
"The 'forgiveness exchange' will probably last for a week.
Judging from past experiences, things will be slow after the
holiday," he said.