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akarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama'€™s heavy handed approach to his staff has demoralized the capital'€™s 72,000 civil servants and could hamper Ahok'€™s planned bureaucratic reforms and other programs, a public policy expert has said.

Ahok frequently, and publicly, criticizes, scolds and accuses his subordinates of assorted wrongdoings. He is also quick to threaten to dismiss any under-performing officials, sometimes naming names.

On Friday, Ahok reshuffled seven agency head positions in his administration, less than seven months after his previous reshuffle.

Public policy expert Agus Pambagio said that regularly reshuffling his senior staff could be a good thing as long as policies remained consistent and he managed his attitude.

Agus said Ahok'€™s harsh attitude, often offending his staff, as well as his policy inconsistencies, harmed the sustainability of many city programs.

'€œBeing firm and assertive is good but from him we see uncontrolled anger,'€ he said.

Agus said Ahok'€™s actions had demoralized his staff. '€œThey are reluctant to work, so many programs are not executed well,'€ he said.

Many officials also refuse to participate in recruitment for high up positions as they are afraid of being demoted.

Agus also criticized Ahok'€™s inconsistency in executing his programs. '€œHe previously planned to build a light rail transit (LRT) but then he [instead] revealed a plan to build another elevated road in Semanggi [in Central Jakarta],'€ he said.

Agus said that regarding the LRT, Ahok had previously said he would form a public committee to handle the project but then decided to hand it over to city-owned companies.

The Jakarta administration'€™s new procurement unit, established under Ahok and the former governor, President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, has also been facing difficulty; as of early May, out of an intended 6,000 goods and services procurement packages, only four tenders had been completed.

The slow procurement process has led to low budget spending. Ahok said on Friday he believed that some officials refused to work and spend money, hence the reshuffle.

Ahok said he was not worried about the low budget spending as all the programs had been included in the electronic budgeting system. '€œWe can easily procure the goods and services through the electronic catalog,'€ he said, referring to the National Procurement Agency'€™s catalog.

Ahok said he would evaluate the performances of his senior staff in three to six months. He said he had ordered new agency heads to give him names of any staff deserving of demotion or dismissal. '€œGive me the report in one week,'€ he said.

During the inauguration ceremony Ahok named two officials whom he saw as potentially weak in their roles. '€œIrwandi and Bu Ratna are actually not recommended [according to psychological testing] but I'€™ve given them a chance,'€ he said.

Ahok was referring to the new Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Agency head Irwandi and the new Parks and Cemetery Agency head Ratna Diah Kurniati.

After the ceremony Irwandi said that he would try his best to fulfill the governor'€™s expectations. '€œAlthough it is impossible to demolish a mountain, I will try as it is an order from my superior,'€ he said.

Among the new agency heads are Isnawa Adji for the Sanitation Agency, Firmansyah for the Youth and Sports Agency, Andri Yansah for the Transportation Agency, Tri Djoko Sri Margianto for the Water Management Agency and Edy Junaedi for the One-Sop Integrated Agency.

All seven former agency heads, including Benjamin Bukit, Saptastri Ediningtyas and Joko Kundaryo, were demoted to regular duties and placed at the Jakarta Training Agency.