Mar'ie calls on officials to improve their integrity

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad reiterated to ministry officials yesterday that they must improve their integrity in managing state funds.

Speaking at the commemoration of the country's 50th Finance Day, the minister said that the ministry's officials should demonstrate their integrity in all aspects of their jobs.

"Finance officials should base their deeds and conduct on existing regulations and laws, respecting the public interest and avoiding practices that could cause losses to society and the state," the minister said.

Mar'ie said that malfeasance is against all moral and ethical standards so that anything that causes a loss to the public would be opposed not only at home but also by "the international community".

This is not the first time Mar'ie, dubbed by the press as Mr. Clean, has spoken about ethics and morals. A former director general of tax and a former chairman of the Association of Islamic Students, Mar'ie recently stressed the need to add "more moral value" to the country's development plans.

In his speech yesterday, Mar'ie said that the need to improve integrity will become ever more important as globalization permeates more aspects of society in the next decade.

"In the integrated world, anything that is against international ethics, will quickly become a global issue," he said, warning that Indonesia, as a developing nation, should therefore learn how to conduct its affairs according to internationally-accepted standards.

In the fiscal sector, the minister said that the integrity should be reflected by the ability to manage the government's spending according to previously stated plans.

At the commemoration of the Financial Day held in the parking lot of the Ministry of Finance complex in Central Jakarta, the minister presented tokens of appreciation to 1,874 active and retired ministry officials.

Of the recipients, 1,097 received Satyalancana Karya Satya awards from President Soeharto for their strong dedication and the other 777 received appreciation awards from the minister of finance.

The recipients included Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance Dono Iskandar, Chairman of the Financial and Monetary Monitoring Board Marzuki Usman and the president of state-owned insurance firm PT Jasa Rahardja, Ida Bagus Putu Sarga.

After presenting the awards, the minister signed the first letter using the 50th Financial Day series.

On Oct. 30, 1946, 50 years ago, the government first circulated its own bank notes, previously called Oeang Repoeblik Indonesia (ORI), and now known as the rupiah. The date of the issuance of the first bank notes is now know as Financial Day. (hen)