PT Kereta Api staffers standing next to the doors of an executive train during a ceremony earlier this year. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG)
In a show of what can happen when a new sheriff is in town, Indonesia's Minister of Transportation Freddy Numberi has fired two top railway officials for failing to be at their posts when he conducted a surprise inspection at one of Jakarta’s busiest train stations on Monday.
The newly-appointed minister ordered the dismissals of both the chief of Kota station in West Jakarta, Jatun, and his deputy, Suyatno, for failing to be in their offices when he visited.
Ignasius Jonan, the chairman of state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api, said Freddy had instructed the company to prioritize the quality of its passenger service.
“We appreciate the minister’s decision because Jatun had indeed failed to carry out his responsibilities,” Jonan said.
Jatun was reportedly replaced by the former head of Bekasi station, Rudi Krisno, and moved to Kereta Api’s headquarters in Bandung, where he will handle administrative duties.
Taufik Kurniawan, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commission V, which oversees transportation affairs, said he supported Freddy’s decision to dismiss the officials for neglecting their duties.
“The absence of a station chief could be dangerous should something bad happen,” he said.
Taufik declined to comment on whether he felt the decision by Freddy was excessive, only saying ministers had different styles of leadership.
“Leadership styles are different from one minister to the next,” he said. “As long as his move was aimed at improving the performance of the transportation industry, we support it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment