The plan to increase ministers’ salaries is insensitive towards the hardships that most Indonesians have to face in their daily life, legislators and experts say.
“Around 80 percent of the state budget is allocated to the elite. Increasing the ministers’ salaries will only widen the gap between the elite and the common people,” a political expert from the University of Indonesia, Arbi Sanit, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Previously, the House of Representatives Speaker, Marzuki Alie from the Democratic Party faction, said it was reasonable for ministers to have their salaries raised, regardless of the fact that they had earned much more than the average worker.
“Ministers are responsible for this republic’s wellbeing. We cannot place their salaries on the same level as the minimum regional wage [UMR]. Their salaries can not be in the same league as factory workers,” he said at the House building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday.
“Ministers, unlike us, have no fixed working hours. When most people are sleeping, they still have to work or go to Cikeas [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s residence]. In my opinion, with such great responsibility, they deserve to have better remuneration.”
However, Arbi said that the great responsibility that the ministers had to bear came with the job.
“Who told them to become ministers? Those are their jobs and responsibilities. They have to deal with them.”
Speaking in the same tone as Arbi, Ismed Hasan Putro from the Civilized Professionals Society said that Marzuki should not use ministers’ responsibilities as a justification to improve their salaries and welfare.
“I believe it is fine for ministers to have their salaries raised, with the caveat that they must show an
excellent performance and must prove that the people will benefit from their works and contributions,” he said.
“However, I must also say that even without a raise, the current ministers salaries are more than enough to live in Jakarta.
“With that in mind, I believe that Pak Marzuki should have been more sensitive with his remarks, especially when he was comparing the ministers’ standard of living with that of ordinary people.”
One of Marzuki’s deputy speakers, Pramono Anung from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), agreed with Ismed about the requirement for ministers to prove themselves before asking for a raise and said that it was essential for the government to consider people’s feelings before raising ministers’ salaries.
“Ministers have yet to do their job, yet a discussion to raise their salaries is already taking place. Is this fair?”
Meanwhile, one of the deputy chairmen at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Lukman Hakim from the United Development Party (PPP), said he regretted the fact that the discussion to raise ministers’ salaries was taking place during a time of many disasters, such as the recent Padang earthquake.
Since 2005, ministers have yet to receive any increase to their salaries.
Based on data from the Finance Ministry Budgeting Agency issued on Jan. 28 in 2005, the basic monthly salary for a minister was Rp 5,040,000 (US$529). However, they also receive a monthly subsidy of Rp 13,608,000. (hdt)
Ministers’ current monthly salaries:
Basic salaries: Rp 5,040,000
Subsidy Rp 13,608,000
Tactical fund Rp 150,000,000*
Total Rp 168,648,000
Other facilities:
- Luxury car**
- Five star accomodation
- VIP class tickets for transportation
- An official home at one of the capital’s elite neighborhoods
*=minimum
**=During the 2004-2009 term the luxury car was a Toyota Camry worth between Rp 350 million and Rp 641 million. The State Secretariate is considering Toyota Crown Majesta for the 2009-2014 term, which is worth Rp 1.8 billion.
Source: Finance Ministry
