T

he government is issuing strict regulations requiring civil servants to achieve targets set by their institutions to increase their performance level, boosting public service quality.

State Administrative Reforms Minister E. E. Mangindaan said Thursday he would issue regulations that detailed the expected performance of civil servants, as well as the consequences for those who failed to achieve their institutions' objectives.

"The regulations will work to maximize employees' performance and achieve the standards set by their seniors. Otherwise, they will be subject to consequences," Mangindaan said on the sidelines of the ministry's national coordination meeting in Jakarta.

Mangindaan said he would issue two government regulations and implement the public service law by February.

He also said the regulations would involve public service standards and ways to increase public participation in services.

The law stipulates that government institutions assess their officials based on methods approved by the government.

The law also says that institutions should process public complaints and take immediate action, ranging from selecting, analyzing and clarifying complaints to achieving solutions and taking action.

"The issuance of the regulations should increase employees discipline levels. For example, government officials cannot leave their jobs while they are responsible for being in charge," he said.

A number of surveys have shown excessive red tape and corruption within government offices at the central and regional level.

Mangindaan said many regents had been absent during meetings with their governors. Instead, they sent their assistants to attend meetings.

"This should not occur in the future. The actions of these regents resulted in unsatisfactory regional management," he said.

The minister added that the new regulations would also facilitate efforts to distribute civil servants evenly across government institutions.

He said some institutions were overstaffed, while some were understaffed.

"I will coordinate with Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to restructure the organization of regional governments across the country," he said.

He added the Home Ministry would play an important part in organizing regional administrations and resolving the issuance of bylaws that were in conflict with existing regulations.

"I can ensure there will be no bylaws that run against the Constitution by 2014," he said, adding he had demanded the Home Ministry improve its performance in revoking draft bylaws before they were endorsed.

"I will also issue a ministerial letter about the requirements institutions must meet to set public service standards by February.

"It's important that every public body meets the same standards and involve all stakeholders," he said.

Mangindaan also said government institutions should have bodies dedicated to dealing with complaints.

"Many regional institutions still lack departments devoted to complaints.

"We will determine where they are needed and will immediately establish them," he said.

He said the government would increase civil servants' salaries by 5 percent next year to motivate them to enhance their work ethic.

He said he would issue a government regulation on salaries and pensions for civil servants, including the military, the National Police and judges, by the end of December.

Mangindaan also said he would improve the content of the government regulation on civil servant professionalism to increase the quality of public services.

"Every civil servant should have a formal job description. Nobody will have a position that has not been properly defined," he said, adding that some current positions were not adequately defined.

He said he would improve recruitment mechanisms for civil servants.