Newly-installed Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika sent a strong message in his first day in office on Monday in Denpasar, urging provincial civil servants not to be corrupt.
His clear message was stated in front of about 900 civil servants at a flag-hoisting ceremony, held to mark the start of his administration at his governor's office.
Pastika told the assembled civil servants to be hard-working and dedicated, as they were paid from public funds.
"Each rupiah we spend either in the form of salaries, allowances or operational costs belongs to the people and we should be accountable," said the governor, who was installed Thursday.
Civil servants were expected to be able to work without fear of making mistakes. They should work professionally.
"I just wanted to remind them not to do things which might tend to deviate from their mandate," he said.
Civil servants were also urged to be more critical and responsive.
"They should not miss new developments around them," he said.
"We have to be critical and responsive to people's aspirations."
In his speech Pastika also asked for support from all civil servants working in the Bali provincial administration for the duration of his five-year term. The governor, who comes from Buleleng -- a regency on the northern side of Bali -- said that his leadership would mean nothing without their support.
Pastika admitted that he still had a lot of homework to do while he settled into the new job, together with Vice Governor Anak Agung Ngurah Purpayoga.
One of his homework items is the compilation of the strategic development plan for Bali for the period 2008-2013. The plan is also expected to reflect continuity with the plan adopted by the previous administration.
Aside from strategic planning, Pastika will also react to topical issues affecting the general public. Among these are the disputes over the reelection of Denpasar's Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) rector and the alleged development planning violations at the Uluwatu holy temple.
"These are practical issues we have to look at see if we can try to help deal with them," he said.
Pastika and Puspayoga were elected to govern Bali for the 2008-2013 period in the election on July 9. The pair, who were supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, defeated their contenders Cok Budi Suryawan and Gde Njoman Suweta, nominated by Golkar Party and I Gede Winasa and I Gusti Bagus Alit Putra, supported by the Bali Awakening Coalition.
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