Minority factions urge bureaucratic reforms

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)