Minority factions urge bureaucratic reforms

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions in the People's Consultative Assembly joined forces yesterday to support a motion on bureaucratic reforms.

But they are facing an uphill battle -- if not on the brink of defeat -- because the dominant Golkar and its two traditional allies rejected the bid.

PPP spokeswoman Aisyah Aminy told a session presided over by Wiranto that a clean government would encourage the bureaucracy to carry out its development-related jobs which would become tougher and more complicated in the future.

"Bureaucratic apparatus from all levels of administration are supposed to provide a public service. They should not go beyond their function and authority," Aisyah said.

According to the faction, the reforms must not only affect individual bureaucrats but the whole system, thereby enabling the country to achieve its development goals.

PDI spokesman Ismunandar said people had long dreamt of clean governance, in which no government officials or state-owned companies could abuse state funds or authorities.

"People talk about those irregularities at the market, at the bus station, at offices, schools or anywhere else. The word 'collusion' has become part of their daily vocabulary, and many people think that collusion is behind the irregularities," said Ismunandar.

He said PDI did not blame the government's failure to live up to the New Order's drive to curb leakages of state budgets on the lack of laws, but on the absence of moral restraint among the bureaucrats.

Golkar considered the minority parties-supported motion exaggerated because the Assembly had included a clause on bureaucratic affairs in the draft 1998-2003 State Policy Guidelines.

"The draft will become our reference in a bid to establish a clean government, including how to get rid of collusion, corruption, nepotism and state budget leakages," Golkar spokesman Juwono Sudarsono said.

He said Golkar threw its weight behind efforts to improve the bureaucratic posture to increase public confidence in the government, but believed that consistent law enforcement would be more feasible in achieving its goals.

"We can make our development programs a success if we have reliable leaders, a strong government and a discipline guided society," Juwono said.

The Armed Forces said a separate decree on bureaucratic reforms was unnecessary because efforts to establish a clean government had always existed.

"Bureaucratic reforms are still underway, either through managerial improvement or law enforcement," Armed Forces spokesman Suparman Achmad said.

The deliberation of the drafts of bureaucratic reforms resumes today. (amd)