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Officials taking campaign leave feared to adversely impact on public service
The President’s recent assuran- ce that public officials taking leave to campaign would not affect government activities has come under fire
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The President’s recent assuran- ce that public officials taking leave to campaign would not affect government activities has come under fire.
An advisor to the State Minister for Administrative Reform said that with 20 percent of central and regional officials asking for leave, the government would be understaffed with all the absences.
“The government will not work effectively with many officials on leave campaigning,” administrative reform advisor Deddy Bratakusumah, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The campaign season kicked off Monday and will last until April 5, forcing officials to leave state duties behind while they are on the campaign trail. Deddy said officials taking leave would naturally be concentrating more on their parties than their own state duties during this election time.
“It will be difficult for some government institutions to make decisions on new or ongoing projects, meaning they will likely be delayed,” Deddy said.
Home Minister Mardiyanto said almost 120 state officials, including 11 governors and seven deputy governors, had officially requested a leave of absence to campaign ahead of the upcoming legislative elections.
Earlier, State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said nearly all 18 Cabinet ministers affiliated with political parties had requested a similar leave period.
According to Government Regulation No. 14/2008 on Election Campaign Procedures for State Officials, each state official can take only one day of leave every five working days.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will take leave every Friday during the 21-day open campaign period, while Vice President Jusuf Kalla will alternatively take his leave on a different day of the week.
To add to potential problems, Deddy said more than 6,000 civil servants had resigned in order to contest the legislative elections.
“Most of them are credible officials,” Deddy said.
Political observer Ikrar Nusa Bakti from the Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI) questioned how public services will be managed with so many officials absent.
“This will hamper the management of this nation unless those officials finish their jobs before handing the task over to their assistants,” he said.
The more serious problem concerns the decision making process, with many high level officials to be away.
“When government institutions need decisions made on important issues, who will be responsible?” Ikrar said.
But Mardiyanto said the absences would not lead to vacant administrations because secretaries were ready to fill in for the regional heads. While on leave, the regional heads will maintain communications and coordination with the central government. (naf)
According to Government Regulation No. 14/2008, each state official can take only one day of leave every five working days.
