On waste management

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