Surjadi promises cleaner bureaucracy

Surjadi promises cleaner bureaucracy

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja pledged
yesterday to straighten out the bureaucracy and improve public
service in an effort to make the city one of the world's foremost
cities.

Surjadi, known as a silent hard-working fellow, also renewed
the call for city bureaucrats to shun corrupt practices in order
to improve the municipality's image.

"The development process should not only cover physical
activities but the people's mentality as well. This means that it
is important for the city bureaucrats to adhere to laws," he told
a press conference in connection with the city's 468th
anniversary today.

Surjadi said that currently there is a tendency for Jakartans
in general, including city officers, to do anything, foul or
fair, to achieve their goals.

The city administration has often become a target of criticism
for its complicated bureaucratic procedures, corruption and bad
public service.

In commemorating the city's anniversary and the nation's 50th
Independence Day the governor appealed for Jakartans to renew
their working spirits.

The governor admitted that the service rendered by the 76,000
city government employees is not as good as the public expects it
to be. "Even I am not satisfied with their performance," he
added.

To solve the problem, the city government plans to improve its
human resources so that it will be able to cope with the mounting
urban problems.

Ideally, he said, the city employees should serve the people
properly regardless of their social and economic status.

"All complaints made the people should be treated similarly to
complaints made by the governor," he said, adding that people
should also participate in social control.

However, the governor said in that straightening out the
bureaucracy concrete results cannot not be expected overnight
because it would not be an easy job.

Better discipline on the part of the city administration's
employees is needed to quicken the various development projects,
he said, in order to make Jakarta into one of the world's most
famous cities.

The city administration plans to start several projects, such
as the multi-million-dollar land reclamation scheme in North
Jakarta and the proposed subway system from Kota to Blok M. Both
are to start early next year, along with work on the Manggarai
integrated terminal. (yns)