Salaries of civil servants and ABRI

Salaries of civil servants and ABRI

From Tempo

The salaries of civil servants and Armed Forces (ABRI) members
is an indicator of political stability. There is a significant
correlation between salaries and professional interest and the
tendency of a code of conduct of the civil servants and ABRI. The
bigger the salaries, the greater the service rendered by civil
servants and ABRI; and the surer their neutrality in political
activities. And, in turn, society will, hopefully, have a clean
as well as dignified bureaucracy.

Developed and advanced countries implement this system. Their
governments will never take the risk of not giving fair and
propositional reward and welfare to their civil servants and
military personnel. Satisfactory welfare for these two groups is
the key to a good and prosperous state.

Seen from an economic point of view, the salaries paid to
civil servants and ABRI personnel must be satisfactory. In this
time of crisis, only government sectors can become dynamic agents
of the nation's economic operations. Also, they are required to
have the potential to become the prime agents for the development
of rural economy. Thus, they should receive 10 times the amount
they get at present, if the bureaucracy is to be in a healthy
state. With such good pay, civil servants and ABRI will spend
more money on consumptive purposes, and this can help to enliven
nonformal economic activities prevailing in society, such as food
vendors, hawkers and other small traders.

BAMBANG NUGROHO

Jakarta