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'Where else can I find justice?', disabled dentist writes to Jokowi as civil servant dream crushed
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Dentist Romi Syofpa Ismael poses for a photo at the office of the Padang Legal Aid Institute. Romi, who has been on duty in a remote area in West Sumatra for the past four years, is having trouble securing permanent employment because of her disability. (JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb)
R
omi Syofpa Ismael, a dentist from West Sumatra, had her dream crushed when her disability led the South Solok administration to remove her name from the civil servant candidate list.
But the 33-year-old woman, who has served as a contract dentist for four years at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Talunan, a remote area in the province’s South Solok regency, has refused to back down from demanding justice, as she maintains that being in a wheelchair does not hinder her ability to perform her job.
Ami, as the dentist is affectionately called, initially passed a series of tests in 2018 as part of the civil servant candidate selection. However, she could not fulfill all the requirements of the physical examination due to her weak lower legs, which she had suffered from for almost three years.
On March 18, Ami received a letter signed by South Solok Regent Muzni Zakaria saying that as she could not meet all the requirements, the administration had not forwarded her application to the National Civil Service Agency.
The dentist said she planned to file a lawsuit against the South Solok administration to the Padang State Administrative Court with the help of the Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH) to challenge the administration’s decision to remove her from the candidate list.
“I just want the [South Solok] administration to open the door for me [to become a civil servant],” Ami said in a recent interview with The Jakarta Post at LBH Padang headquarters.
Ami said she had also sent a letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to inform him about her situation, but that she had yet to receive a response from Jokowi’s office.
