'Reregistration is a waste of money'

Following the government's Rp 11 billion reregistration program, aimed at the reregistration of four million civil servants nationwide, The Jakarta Post talked to civil servants around Jakarta to ask for their views on the program. Some of them saw it as an ordinary program with the purpose of updating data, some thought the program was designed to test civil servants' loyalty to the unitary state of Indonesia.

Septian, not his real name, 35, is a civil servant at the Attorney General's Office in South Jakarta. He lives in Pondok Aren, Tangerang, with his wife and three children:

I object to the reregistration program as it is a waste of money.

If the purpose (of the program) is to collect important data, civil servants should have been screened when they were recruited. The Civil Service Board (BKN) would then have all the data it needed. Why should we reregister?

Is it to make it easier for the government to file documents?

I guess there's an absence of goodwill from the government when they launch a program like this.

I'm afraid that reregistration is an excuse for the government to control civil servants and avoid the possibility of a coup d'etat. That was the case in the screening program used during the New Order era.

I don't think its a matter of identifying civilian loyalty to the country, but maybe they (the government) are seeking those involved in separatism.

I'm accustomed to such screening, particularly in the case of career promotion.

Rini, 31, is a civil servant working with a city administration orphanage in East Jakarta. She resides in Halim, East Jakarta, with her husband and daughter:

Reregistration is necessary to avoid corruption, collusion or nepotism among civil servants. It's also an effective way to check if there is a civil servant who has two identification numbers.

I guess the process will be beneficial since the filing system will be in order.

Honestly speaking, I haven't seen the form but I have been told to collect documents, such as an official employment certificate, to support the information recorded on the form.

The program may be useful to see who deserves promotion or to reward to civil servants working for longer than 15 years.

But loyalty can't be tested by such factual questions.

The reregistration is simply for administrative reasons. I'm sure it's completely different from the former screening process used by the New Order regime.

I not worried about the screening as I believe it won't have questions that lead to discrimination against ethnicity or religion.

Pardi, 55, is a teacher at a state elementary school in Petukangan, South Jakarta. He lives in Ciledug, Tangerang, with his wife and four children:

Nothing is unusual about the reregistration program. I'll just do what they want us to.

It is likely that it will just be a matter of giving details of identification.

I agree with the program since it is an attempt by the government to get rid of state enemies.

I also think it will be useful. A colleague of mine was fired after he was found guilty of using a fake diploma to gain employment.

I have been working as civil servant for almost 25 years. So, I'm not surprised about the reregistration program.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.