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Jakarta riot: Some civil servants allowed to leave work early
Civil servants at the Finance Ministry and the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister have been allowed to go home early because of the post-election riots in the city.
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A police vehicle burns in front of the Wisma 77 office building in Slipi, West Jakarta. (Courtesy of Dwi Aji Kurniawan/Dwi Aji Kurniawan)
T
he mass protests that sprang up in Central Jakarta since late on Tuesday in response to the election results have affected the activities of civil servants in the Finance Ministry and the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister as both institutions have allowed their employees to leave early.
The riots that began on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta spread to Tanah Abang, where stones and broken glass were reportedly scattered around the biggest textile market in Southeast Asia. Riots were also reported in Slipi in West Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon.
Susiwijono Moegiarso, the secretary to the coordinating economic minister, said the decision to send employees home was made in response to the unrest.
“Considering the situation and after consulting with relevant ministries, we decided to allow our staff members to leave early,” said Susiwijono on Wednesday.
He added that not everyone could leave early, as a handful of employees were needed on the job until the end of normal working hours.
Susiwijono also said Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution’s meetings scheduled for Wednesday afternoon had been cancelled.
Darmin was to have held a coordination meeting about using rubber as an ingredient for road asphalt at 2 p.m. in his office on Jl. Lapangan Banteng Timur in Central Jakarta.
A similar situation had also occurred next door in the Finance Ministry’s office on Jl. Dr. Wahidin Raya. Ministry spokesperson Nufransa Wira Sakti confirmed to The Jakarta Post that its employees were allowed to go home early on Wednesday afternoon.
“The Finance Ministry gave dispensation today to its personnel who wanted to go home early,” said Nufransa.
Police elevated Jakarta’s security status to its highest level on Tuesday.
