The loyalty of civil servants

The loyalty of civil servants

Nobody can rule a government for good. Even the Indonesian
president is limited by the Constitution to two consecutive
terms.

The democratic system has indeed been designed to accommodate
changes in government administration.

Government authorities may come and go but one thing remains
unchanged -- the bureaucratic line under which the civil servants
fall.

It is the civil servants' responsibility to run the daily
activities of a government and to dedicate themselves to public
service.

They have to work to serve the public, no matter who is
president, minister, governor, district head or city mayor.

In other words, they should be neutral and should not be
affiliated with any political party. They should not, in any
way, get themselves involved in the struggle for power.

However, the case of Aceh is ironic, because it has been
alleged that not only government officials but also civil
servants are involved in the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

As such, their loyalty to the Unitary State of Indonesia is in
question.

Only after the discovery of GAM supporters among Acehnese
civil servants did the government decide to test them to gauge
their nationalist spirit and loyalty to the country.

The plan to hold a nationwide examination of civil servants is
scheduled to last from July 1-31, after the arrest of several
civil servants and politicians in Aceh for their alleged links to
GAM. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta

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Otherop-Jakarta-tolerant
Jakarta must become tolerant again
JP/6/

Jakarta must become tolerant again

Jakarta celebrated its 476th anniversary on June 22. The
history dated back to the reign of Pangeran Jayakarta which
converted a small harbor into a residential area.

In its historical journey, Jakarta has experienced various
happenings which color the characteristics of its residents.

Since the beginning, Jakarta has been a place of great
diversity, despite the oppression of the Dutch colonials. There
was good harmony among groups. The history is very relevant today
just to remind us that the pluralism in the capital city was
established since centuries ago and that social order and harmony
was achieved through good law enforcement.

That is still a prerequisite for Jakarta to again become one
of the great metropolises of the world.

The governor may change, but Jakarta residents must work hard
to maintain pluralism.

Take a look at New York City, which is loved by all its
residents. When terror hit New York on Sept. 11 all layers of
society joined hands to help each other to revive their city,
regardless of their race, religion or social background.

We must revive the sense of togetherness in this reform era.
For whatever reasons we are all residents of Jakarta. Everybody
must do something for the city based on his own ability.

-- Warta Kota, Jakarta