Waskito announces plans to streamline civil service

Waskito announces plans to streamline civil service

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to streamline the civil
service through stricter annual recruitment, especially of lower
echelon employees.

Chief of the Civil Service Administration Board Waskito
Reksosoedirdjo yesterday reported to President Soeharto about the
measures to streamline the administration, which he admitted is
overladen with low level echelon staffers.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Waskito denied that
the size of the Indonesian civil service is excessive.

In percentages, the four million civil servants represent only
about 2.25 percent of the population. In contrast, the civil
service in Brunei represents 16 percent of the population, in
Malaysia four percent and in the Philippines and Thailand 2.5
percent. In France it is also four percent.

"Admittedly there is a problem of poor distribution of the
civil servants in Indonesia. There are those who simply spend
their day reading newspapers," Waskito said. "This is the
problem."

He said that the problem is more apparent if the four million
civil servants are broken down in terms of classifications.

The two lowest ranks, One and Two in the echelon
classifications, respectively make up 16 and 67 percent of the
total. Group Three and Four, the highest ranks, make up only 15
and 0.9 percent respectively.

"This is what needs streamlining," he said, stressing that
this was the point made by President Soeharto.

He pointed out that the government will not impose early
retirement on its civil servants.

Four million

The government is committed to maintaining the size of the
civil service at four million. This means it will only recruit to
replace those who leave service at retirement age or die.

Waskito estimated that the government will have to recruit
about 50,000 people each year, well down from the 200,000 it
recruited annually in the 1980s.

He disclosed that the limited annual recruitment will be
selective in accordance with the government's development program
priorities.

Of the four million civil servants, 1.7 million are teachers
working for state schools and universities.

Now that the government has extended the compulsory education
program from six to nine years beginning this year, more teachers
will be needed to ensure its success, he said.

Waskito said the President also inquired about the welfare of
the state workers and asked that ways be found to make up for the
relatively low salaries.

Given the government's own budget constraints, Soeharto
suggested ways of enhancing non-material remuneration for civil
servants, he said.

Waskito said one way of doing this would be to improve the
career development system in the civil service, including
promotion.

The award for meritorious services, in the past given only
once after 10 years of spotless dedication to the civil service,
will now be given at every 10 year interval of service.

This means that a highly motivated and dedicated civil servant
can expect up to three Satya Lencana Awards in his career with
the government. (emb)