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
; ANPAk..r.. 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