Ratih's job ranking causes an uproar

Ratih's job ranking causes an uproar

JAKARTA (JP): State Secretary Ali Rahman was stumped on Monday
after legislators questioned why Presidential Secretary Ratih
Kaniawan Hardjono was accorded senior civil service ranking
despite never having been a civil servant.

During a hearing with House of Representatives' Commission I
for defense and security, foreign affairs, information and legal
affairs, the legislators reproached Ali for allowing a noncareer
civil servant to receive instantaneous promotion to the rank
usually reserved for departmental director generals.

Abdurrahman created the new post of presidential secretary and
personally selected the former Kompas daily correspondent to
Australia for the job.

According to several legislators, Ratih was immediately
enrolled into the civil service and accorded the rank of IVc.

University graduates entering the civil service are usually
given a IIIa ranking.

Most civil servants usually obtain promotions every two to
five years.

Grade III has four different levels -- from A to D -- through
which a civil servant must pass before entering grade IVa.

Legislators also queried the appointment of subordinates to
the new presidential secretary -- head of the protocol bureau
Wahyu Muryadi and bureau chief of general affairs and palace
administrative affairs Arifin Junaidi -- as civil servants.

Legislators said they were not questioning the type of post
assigned to the new presidential assistants, but the senior civil
service rank accorded them.

Golkar Party legislator Hajriyanto Thohari warned that by
according the high civil service rank, the move would create
jealousy among career civil servants as all three new appointees
previously worked in the private sector.

"Their installments will create jealousy among civil servants
who have developed their careers over the years," Hajriyanto
said.

Many legislators noted that such ranks have to be earned
during a career, and that new applicants are not usually accepted
if they are over 30 years of age.

One legislator said that he knew of a civil servant who had
worked for 12 years but had only earned a IIIc ranking, while
Ratih had immediately obtained the IVc ranking.

Ali Rahman was at a loss to explain the situation, and was
forced to ask for time to review and respond to the issue at a
later date.

"I will give a written answer about the presidential
secretary," Ali promised.

Hajriyanto warned that the incident could set a bad precedent.

He said he could understand that Abdurrahman wanted his most
trusted aides to handle personal affairs, however it was another
issue altogether to grant so many of them the high civil service
ranking.

"If it was only Ratih maybe I could tolerate it, but not so
many people like it is now," he said.

Hajriyanto said former president B.J. Habibie also brought in
his trusted people to the palace, including Dewi Fortuna Anwar,
Umar Juoro and Indria Samego.

"But they were civil servants before they were installed as
Habibie's advisors," he later told journalists.

Legislator Aisyah Amini of the United Development Party (PPP)
also questioned the move.

"We hope the government will avoid issuing presidential
decrees which violate existing laws," Aisyah said. (jun)