Seminar scrutinizes govt productivity

Seminar scrutinizes govt productivity

JAKARTA (JP): The productivity of the public sector came under scrutiny during a two-day seminar which concluded yesterday.

All discussion about improving the productivity of Indonesian workers has so far concentrated on the private sector, but officials and experts agree that the government too must show a political will to improve the skill of its own workers.

State Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi, in his presentation on Thursday, said government employees, from the lowest to the highest ranks, should remember that they are public servants.

"They were recruited to serve the public, and not to be served," he said. He noted that a "feudalistic" attitude still prevails among most government employees.

Citing an example, he said traffic police should prevent violations rather than wait for them to occur so they can stop motorists.

Silalahi said the government is demanding more from new recruits and warned that there would be fewer job opportunities for people with only primary school educations. "The past recruitment system gave the civil service a bad image. It is impossible to fire them now, but we can still upgrade their skills and mentality gradually."

He said those with only primary school educations are among the least productive in the civil service. "In the future, we will recruit more university graduates, although there will still be some openings for people with high school diplomas."

The number of civil servants has reached more than four million, most of whom are elementary or junior high school graduates. While education may be a factor, observers say low productivity is also related to their salaries, which are among the lowest of fixed income earners.

Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto underlined the need for government employees to strengthen their professionalism and productivity as Indonesia enters a more competitive global market.

"The administration will play an important role in the free market system," he said. "Our success in global competition will partly depend on whether or not the government apparatus is able to give clean and expedient services," he said in his keynote address at the seminar.

Foreign investors will be reluctant to come to Indonesia if they have to face an arduous and complex bureaucracy, he said.

He said the government would continue to deregulate the economy in order to prepare the country for the arrival of the free trade arrangements, first with its Southeast Asian neighbors in 2003 and later in the Asia-Pacific region by 2020. (rms)