Jokowi's Instructions To ASN Regarding Homecoming

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo ensured that no state civil servants (ASN), TNI and Polri, as well as employees of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) would go home for Eid this year. This is done to reduce the number of travelers from Jabodetabek returning to their respective areas of origin when the spread of COVID-19 continues.

"This homecoming policy is the first, today we decided that ASN, TNI and Polri as well as BUMN employees are prohibited from going home," Jokowi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Thursday, April 9.

For the general public, Jokowi said that he would evaluate it first before making further decisions. This evaluation also concerns the effectiveness of providing social assistance to the community in Jabodetabek to reduce the number of travelers.

In reducing the number of travelers, Jokowi initiated social assistance in the hope that the lower class will not return to their hometowns amid the corona virus pandemic. Several policies made by President Jokowi are related to the provision of free electricity to 24 million customers of PT PLN (Persero) with 450VA power and a 50 percent discount for subsidized 900VA customers.

In addition, there are also other assistance, such as the Family Hope Program which will be given to 10 million beneficiaries with a total budget of Rp37.4 trillion; basic food cards given to 20 million recipients with a nominal value of IDR 200 thousand and pre-employment cards which are planned to be received by 5.6 million people with a nominal value of IDR 600 thousand for four months as post-training incentives.

Then, there are also new policies decided by Jokowi and his staff, such as special assistance for basic foodstuffs from the central government for people in DKI Jakarta, which is allocated for 2.6 million people or 1.2 million households. These beneficiaries will receive assistance of Rp. 600 thousand per month for three months and the budget allocated for the success of this program reaches Rp. 2.2 trillion.

For outside Jakarta, such as Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, basic food assistance will be provided to 1.6 million people or 576 thousand households. The budget that will be spent to make this program a success, said Jokowi, reaches IDR 1 trillion and the beneficiaries will receive IDR 600 thousand assistance for three months.

Furthermore, there is also a safety program policy which will be implemented by the National Police. This program, in the future, will be the same as the pre-employment card policy whose program is based on training and assistance. The beneficiaries are taxi drivers, bus or truck drivers and kenek, which number around 197 thousand. Later on, these bus, truck and kenek drivers will receive training and incentives of Rp. 600 thousand for three months with a program budget of Rp. 360 billion.

With the provision of a number of social assistance, Jokowi then hopes that no community will return to their hometowns. "The distribution of social assistance, especially in Jabodetabek, is given so that residents can stop their intention of going home," he said.

In addition to providing assistance, Jokowi said that restrictions on public transportation would also be limited. As for travelers with private transportation, their space will also be limited by limiting the carrying capacity of cars and motorbikes.

Threatened sanctions

Prior to Jokowi's announcement, the Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan-RB) Tjahjo Kumolo had already stated the prohibition in Circular Number 46 of 2020. This letter discusses restrictions on activities for traveling outside the region, going home or on leave for state servants in efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and is in effect from April 9 until further policies are made.

"State Civil Servants and their families are prohibited from traveling outside the region and / or other homecoming activities during the enactment of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Determination," read a circular signed by Tjahjo on Thursday, April 9.

If indeed ASN is forced to go outside the area or go home, then, they must obtain permission from the competent authority on the delegation of Civil Service Guidance Officers. This letter also instructs the Civil Service Officers at the Ministries / Institutions / Regions not to give leave for their ASNs.

Even so, leave can still be given to those who are going to give birth, be sick and leave for other important reasons. "Leave due to important reasons is only given limitedly that one of the nuclear family members (mother, father, wife or husband, child, brother, sister, in-law or son-in-law) has passed away," said the letter in point 2 letter d.

Sanctions have also been prepared for ASN who violate the prohibition in the letter. The sanctions given are in the form of disciplinary penalties as regulated in Government Regulation Number 53 of 2010 and Government Regulation Number 49 of 2018. Based on Government Regulation Number 53 of 2010 concerning Civil Servant Discipline, sanctions are given according to the category of violations, namely minor, moderate and severe.

For ASN who are desperate to go home, it is certain that they fall into the category of moderate violations by reason of endangering others. Penalties for moderate disciplinary offenses include postponing periodic salary increases for a year, delaying promotions for a year and demotions of a lower level for a year.

Meanwhile, the sanctions for severe discipline include demotion of a lower level for three years, demotion of a lower level, removal from office, disrespectful dismissal at one's own request and dismissal with no respect.