Jakarta Governor Joko Fires City Employee, But Not Agency Head, for Playing Video Games; “It’s actually alright to play games, but they should be able to process [permit applications] in five minutes”; Jokowi to wield axe in effort to slim down city’s bureaucracy

Joko Fires City Employee for Playing Video Games: Report

By SP/Deti Mega Purnamasari on 5:16 pm October 18, 2013.
Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo did not say a word to the employee caught playing video games during a surprise visit to the offices of the city’s small-and-medium enterprises agency. But on his way out of the building, Joko told his assistant to take down the employee’s name so that he could be fired. “It’s actually alright to play games, but they should be able to process [permit applications] in five minutes,” Joko said later, according to Indonesian news portal Merdeka.com. “But if they need two weeks to process [permits], how can they play games?” He visited the East Jakarta offices unannounced on Friday — the second time he has done so. Accompanied by East Jakarta Mayor H.R. Krisdianto and integrated services (PTSP) head Husnul Chotimah, Joko proceeded directly to the PTSP offices.

“How does one get a SIUP [business permit]?” he asked an employee. “How many days does it take? Where should I go after this?”

“Three days, sir,” the official reportedly replied,

But an applicant named Rofi Nata who was in line for a permit told the governor that the process takes two weeks. Joko went to the third floor, bringing with him a list of the companies and business that had registered for permits. He asked office staff there to teach him how to input the information so that he could do it himself.

“How do I input this?” he asked. “What’s the password?”

Office staff told him that agency head Johan Afandithe was the only one who knew the password, but he was nowhere to be found and no one knew where he was. At this point, Joko reportedly saw an employee trying to covertly close down a computer game he had been playing. The governor threw the papers he had been holding onto a table, asked for the names of all third floor staff, and while two officials tried to explain the situation, he walked to his car without speaking and slammed the door. PTSP is still a pilot project in Jakarta. The governor made his first unannounced visit there on July 16. Back at City Hall, Joko said the agency needed to become more efficient. “The speed should be faster,” he said. “Just type some sentences, input the information, fill in the form, type it, enter, sign it and issue it. It’s not difficult.”Jokowi to wield axe in effort to slim down city’s bureaucracy

Sita W. Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Sat, October 19 2013, 11:47 AM

Jakarta News

In a series of bureaucratic reforms by Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, the number of middle-ranking officials is targeted to be cut by 20 percent.
The city also aims to cut the number of sections within its various departments by one third, from the current level of 204.
Organization and governance bureau chief Lasro Marbun said on Friday the city planned to remove some 1,500 structural positions from the current 7,207.
“We did this before when we cut the number from 9,211 to 7,626 in 2008,” Lasro told reporters after a meeting between Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and high-echelon officials at City Hall.
Lasro said the technical functions of removed positions would be merged with the remaining posts.
“For example, there are two similar units at the Jakarta Development Planning Agency that focus on development planning information centers, plus one subdivision head and a division head. We will reduce them to two positions only, namely the administration division head and a subdivision head,” he said.
The deputy governor believed such moves would enable the city administration to save up to Rp 300 billion (US$26.4 million) in government expenditure per year.
Lasro said the restructure would improve the city’s performance.
“The slimmer an organization, the more efficient it will be. It will move faster and better,” he said.
Lasro said the executive was preparing the draft bylaw to be submitted to the City Council.
According to the Jakarta Employment Agency, the city administration employs 72,086 people, including 7,207 officials.
Ahok said as compensation for the bureaucracy downsizing, the city would raise official allowances.
“We will raise the officials’ allowance based on their performance. Currently, the good and the bad earn the same amount in allowances.
“I have ordered the Employment Agency and the Jakarta Finance Management Agency to draft the mechanism. We will measure an official’s performance from his ability to realize programs and to minimize mark-ups,” Ahok said.
University of Indonesia public policy expert Andrinof Chaniago said the initiative was a short-term solution.
“For the long-term, leaders should prepare a better recruitment system to get the best human resources, like open-call testing. The city, for example, should apply fit and proper tests for officials,” he told The Jakarta Post.
The deputy also emphasized the city’s commitment to curbing fraud by implementing an e-budgeting system.
“With an e-budgeting system, one should have a login account to submit or make changes. That way, we can track the person responsible for unnecessary changes or the person who resubmitted deleted programs,” he said, adding the system would be implemented next year.
“We will let the culprits go this year. One year [of tolerating misconduct] is enough,” he added.
On Wednesday, Ahok reprimanded the city agency and unit heads after he found budget mark-ups and ineffective programs over the past year.
Jokowi was infuriated during an inspection to the East Java Municipality Office after he found a number of public service desks unattended.
The governor slammed down a document and left the office without a word. Jokowi inspected the office a few months ago and said he was disappointed in the lack of improvement at the office.
“I will remove all the Sudin [subagency] heads,” he told reporters.