Local officials are 'not qualified'

TANGERANG (JP): Most local officials are not qualified because their appointment is affected by conflicting interests, which explains why they give a poor service to the public, an activist said on Thursday.

Chairman of Tangerang Government Watch Tommy Wismantoro said most officials in the town do not understand how to do their jobs.

"How are we going to proceed with regional autonomy, which requires professional human resources?" he said, without elaborating which programs indicate such failures.

Many people are in the wrong place, he said. For example, there is a planalogy graduate from a university in France who was installed as chief of administration in the local inspectorate office.

He said such circumstances had given rise to pressure and dissatisfaction among local officials, which led to their resignation, as had happened to a senior official at the local sanitation office.

Spokesman of the Tangerang administration Machdiar defended that every official must be ready to be appointed to any position. "The policy has nothing to do with individual interest or any subjective likes and dislikes," said Machdiar.

He added that the selection and placement process had been reviewed thoroughly, covering seniority, career status and educational background. (41/07)