Surjadi tells officials not to be arrogant

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja called for his subordinates to improve their service to the public by stopping their self-important and arrogant ways.

In his speech to council on his administration's responsibilities at City Council's plenary session yesterday, Surjadi said that City Hall staff were civil servants and must put the public interest's first and; "Don't show off your wealth and don't enrich yourselves."

He said the City administration was not a scientific body. "Therefore, don't try to satisfy yourselves with lengthy scientific arguments with the public, because the public just want service," he said.

He said it was also important for City Hall employees to work hard to increase the city's self generated revenue from taxation and other levies.

"The City's self-generated revenue is the backbone of its development. Please try and find the best ways of collecting more revenue," he said.

Surjadi said he was optimistic that the administration could complete its development programs in the fourth year of the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan that starts today.

In the 1997/98 fiscal year the City's development budget is Rp 3.2 trillion. Although the amount is far from the ideal (Rp 16 trillion), the governor said he was sure that in the coming years the development programs would be carried out smoothly as the city budget was expected to increase by between five and 10 percent a year.

He also said that the professionalism of his subordinates needed improvement, he said.

In his speech, Surjadi also said that Jakarta would be developed into a city to rival the other big cities in the world.

In the 21st century the world would pay more attention to Jakarta due to the rapid economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

"We must prepare ourselves as well as we can," he said. (sur)