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