Christmas And New Year Holidays, Deputy Governor Riza Forbids Civil Servants In DKI Jakarta To Take Leave

Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ahmad Riza Patria (Photo: Diah Ayu/VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria forbade the DKI state civil apparatus (ASN) to take leave during the 2021 Christmas and 2022 new year holiday seasons.

"ASNs are prohibited from taking leave in accordance with Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform of the Republic of Indonesia (MenPAN RB) circular Number 13 of 2021. The central government also prohibits ASN from taking leave and taking advantage of the momentum of the national holiday at the end of the year," Riza told reporters, Friday, October 29.

Riza said this was in accordance with the government's decision to abolish collective leave at the end of the year. He asked all parties to understand this policy in order to minimize the transmission of COVID-19.

"The government has made a decision regarding the abolition of collective leave since December 24 or before Christmas and New Year's Day. This is for the common good so that there will not be a new cluster of COVID-19 due to the long holiday homecoming," Riza explained.

As is known, the abolition of collective leave is in accordance with the Joint Decree (SKB) of the Minister of Religion, the Minister of Manpower, the Minister for Empowerment of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform, the SKB of the Three Ministers Number 712 of 2021, Number 1 of 2021, and Number 3 of 2021 concerning National Holidays and Joint Leave 2021.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy explained that the policy of eliminating Christmas and New Year's leave was carried out to limit the more massive mobilization or movement of people ahead of the year-end holidays.

This was conveyed in the Coordination Meeting for Transportation Preparation for Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022, together with the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, representatives of Traffic Service (Dirlantas) throughout Indonesia, Dishub throughout Indonesia, the COVID-19 Task Force, and related stakeholders, which were held online and offline, on Tuesday, October 26.

"We are trying to suppress as little as possible those who will travel. And this has been given a barrier fence. Starting from the absence of joint leave holidays. Then we will ban them from taking leave," said Muhadjir.

According to him, the policy requires wider socialization to the community. Therefore, it needs to be done jointly by the police, the transportation service, and also the mass media. This needs to be done so that the community is more understanding of the existing situation and is not desperate to violate it.

"I ask that later there will be a large-scale campaign to urge people not to travel. Not to return to their village, or to travel for non-primary purposes," he continued.