Sutiyoso cross about checks on time sheets

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso was pleased to find no civil servants or City Hall employees were absent without notice Monday, the first working day after the weeklong Idul Fitri holiday.

 But the smile was soon wiped off his face by the realization that many of his subordinates had checked the afternoon and evening time sheets first thing in the morning. 

 “How can this be? The attendance list must be signed three times a day; in the morning, afternoon and evening,” he grumbled during a visit to the Central Jakarta population agency office.

 He surmised the officials who had tampered with the time sheets were lazy individuals who had wanted to go home early.

 Civil servants and employees of the Jakarta administration enjoyed shorter working hours during the fasting month and began their holiday on Oct. 21.

 The governor, who has made a habit of paying impromptu visits to city offices after holidays, found time sheets had been falsely marked at a number of city offices including Central Jakarta’s public lighting, housing and development supervision agencies.

 In response to the new strategy for avoiding disciplinary action, the governor ordered the heads of all divisions of the city administration to employ attendance technology to discourage officials from knocking off from work early.

 In his inspection of Srengseng subdistrict office in West Jakarta, Sutiyoso told subdistrict head Yan S. Hadi to bring each of the 18 staff members who had signed the time sheets before him.

 Sukesti Martiono, the head of the city administration’s personnel office, said a computerized attendance system had been  successfully applied in some offices.

 “However, such technology is limited to those offices due to funding shortages,” he said as quoted by city official news portal Beritajakarta.

 Sukesti said the computerized system cost Rp 40 million to set up but could only handle the data of 400 staff.

 Only one of the Central Jakarta population agency’s 50 members of staff was absent Monday.

 Bekasi administration, which has 8,963 employees, pledged to sanction the 84 officials who skipped work Monday.

 Bekasi population agency head Rusdjama said a week was long enough for families to get together over Idul Fitri.

 “There is no reason for them to stay longer at home. We will take action against them. However (the type of action) will be decided by each division,” he was quoted as saying by Antara.

 Rusdjama said the 84 civil servants, mostly senior members of staff, had violated government regulations.

 The Bogor administration also inspected its offices Monday.

 Bogor administration official Bambang Gunawan said  anyone who took an extra day off would be found out.

 “We will give warning letters to officials who were absent Monday,” he said.

 As public services resumed Monday, pawnshops across the city reported an influx of customers.
 “We served more than 500 people before 2:30 p.m.,”

Djumari, the manager of Salemba pawnshop in Central Jakarta, said.