Stamping out nepotism

Stamping out nepotism

The Inspector General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Soedarjat Nataatmadja, has issued a sort of memo, the kind of which probably no one else in any government agency has ever written. The memo, which is directed to all chiefs of first- and second-rank administrative areas (provinces and regencies) contains a warning for them to avoid the practice of nepotism in their respective areas.

The memo came as a direct consequence of the findings of the State Audit Board (BPKP) disseminated last month in which it was noted that up to the second quarter of fiscal year 1994/95 the leakage of state funds had increased by 906 percent. According to the head of the State Audit Board, of the seven government institutions where the leaks were regarded to be the biggest, the Ministry of Home affairs topped the list.

It appears that the Home Ministry's Inspector General immediately drew the conclusion that one of the main reasons, if not the single reason, that led to this record leakage was the rampant occurrence of nepotistic practices among officials under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry.

While we must note that to concentrate our attention on nepotism alone might blur our vision towards the existence of other no less important factors, we also proclaim our satisfaction because the problem was bared by an agency which is in charge of the ministry's internal control.

The fact that the Inspector General of the Home Ministry has found it necessary to issue such a potentially controversial memo regarding the issue is a reflection of the massiveness of the presence of nepotistic practices among the bureaucracy under its supervision, although specific data is not available.

-- Republika, Jakarta