On waste management

What President Megawati Soekarnoputri said during a Cabinet meeting on Feb. 11 should be followed up. The sort of government officials who always provide positive reports and sometimes manipulate data and information illustrate the poor quality of human resources in the bureaucracy.

We must act together to improve this very bad habit using a method that we can call "waste management". The first and most important initiative is to teach and retrain all officials to give them a positive mental attitude, even though it might not change them overnight but take a year or two to get the results.

Let the government implement some successful management tools, such as open-mindedness, a willingness to change, and a series of tools that are usually applied in good companies. The 4 R's concept in handling industrial waste, that is, Reduce, Recycle, Replace and Reuse, can be applied to all government officials.

Ask incompetent people to take early retirement, force unproductive officials to Resign, Repel the corrupt ones, Reduce inefficient bureaucrats, and Replace them with young, capable, honest people who are full of integrity, competence, intelligence and commitment,

We believe that by applying the same principles as are used in waste management and with a committed effort, President Megawati will have a dedicated team to help the country recover from the crisis.

PAULUS GUNAWAN

Jakarta