Indonesian officers unhappy with capital move

Some Indonesian Public Servants are pushing back against forced relocation from Jakarta to the new capital of Nusantara.

Authorities say the move is necessary to save sinking and congested Jakarta as well as to enhance development in Kalimantan and eastern Indonesia. 

However one Public Servant, Dwi (not her real name) said she had no desire to make the 2,000-kilometre relocation.

“I'm not sure the move would be good for me. One of my concerns is, what about my husband whose job is in Jakarta?” Dwi, a Government worker for 11 years, asked.

She also wondered what the new capital could provide for her three children, who are now aged between two and nine. 

She is not the only Public Servant who is hesitant to move to the new capital.

Jason Kusuma (also not his real name) is concerned about his children’s education. 

“I have a child with special needs, so he needs certain treatments. Will the new capital have the facilities my child requires?” Mr Kusuma asked.

He also has ailing parents in Jakarta and feels obliged to take care of them. 

“I may resign. It is in my list of options, but I would like to wait and see how things develop,” he said. 

Budi Darmawan (not his real name) did not hesitate to leave the Public Service last year when he was sure the capital relocation would happen.

“When we don’t fit in (with the Government’s vision) anymore, it’s better to leave. No problem,” Mr Darmawan, who has set himself up as a consultant, said.

Speaking at the annual joint military and police leadership meeting, President Joko Widodo said sworn officers must not question Government decisions that had been decided through democratic means.

“The capital move has been decided by the Government and it has been approved by the Parliament. According to the discipline of the military and police, this is no longer debatable,” Mr Widodo said.

Treasury ‘prepared for major pay deal’

United Kingdom Treasury documents have revealed the Government is prepared for a pay deal which gives its 5.5 million public sector workers increases beyond the current rate of inflation.

Negotiations with unions are under way, with the Treasury advising public-sector pay review bodies, which make the final recommendations, to use its two per cent inflation target as a guide rather than the Bank of England’s forecast of 5.75 per cent for the year.

However, figures buried in Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) documents reveal Government spending plans assume the public sector wage bill will increase by 6.7 per cent in the fiscal year starting next month.

A pay rise of that amount would almost certainly be enough to match the annual rate of inflation, even after accounting for the rise in energy prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Public sector employers and unions are currently locked in pay negotiations, with April the key month for settlements. Staff want wages to keep up with surging inflation, and a shortage of workers is giving them rare bargaining power.

In February, the Government proposed a three per cent pay rise for the National Health Service’s 1.3 million staff.

Public Service union, Unison said the “tight-fisted” offer was a wage cut in all but name.

The National Health Service’s pay review body is now considering what to recommend.

OBR projections suggest the big increase in Departmental spending announced in the October Budget might be enough to meet Government plans for Public Service provision and increase pay significantly for public sector workers, who have been subject to freezes and tight pay-rise caps in recent years.

A Treasury spokesman played down the OBR forecasts, saying an assumption of pay bill growth could not be derived from them.

“Pay increases need to be proportionate to the pay rises in the wider economy, balanced with the need to manage the country’s long-term economic health and protect public-sector finances,” a spokesperson said.

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