Public services under scrutiny

JAKARTA (JP): Abdul Kahfi, the new deputy governor for administrative affairs, said yesterday that he was in the process of evaluating procedures regarding the provision of public services by city officials.

The evaluation was part of his pledge to cut unnecessary red tape and waste in the administration, he said.

"I will try to make several changes to the procedures, including bypassing the arduous processes of having to go to so many desks," he told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The complicated and time-consuming procedures are due to the many signatures and approvals people need to process application papers, he said.

"I will streamline the system and make the necessary adjustments in certain procedural processes. I hope my office will manage to reduce the number of administrative desks," Kahfi said, without giving further details.

"I know there are several posts considered by some officials as "wet" from which they can gain a lot of money. In my term as deputy governor, I will try my best to eliminate these."

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja urged city officials Thursday to stop their bad habits and greedy attitude of giving slow services.

Such habits would hamper the city's programs to cut the burdensome red tape, he said.

"One of the most important things in this global era is to manage public services well. Don't just give lip service, but do the job. There is no room for over-sized bureaucracies in the future," he said.

Surjadi said it was time for city officials to awake from their lazy habits. "Don't be greedy over giving the public good service," he said, citing the example of city officials who ask for payment before processing application papers.

"The greedy attitude must be stopped. It's our duty to serve society. If every service is valued by money, no wonder corruption grows well in city's offices," the outgoing governor said.

Surjadi said that if officials' bad attitudes were not altered soon, he doubted whether the city officials would be able to survive global competition.

He cited the example of Jakarta's main food market, which has not developed as well as expected because the farmers intending to sell their goods there face so many levies.

"How can the farmers survive if they remain poor, either in terms of knowledge, money or management?" Surjadi asked. (07)