Although there have been no cases of civil servants in Papua misusing official vehicles for other purposes, the Papuan government is still taking precautions. As an anticipation, the Papua Government reprimanded official vehicles only for community service.
Official Vehicles Only for Community Service
Recently, Jeri Agus Yudianto, Head of the Communication and Informatics Service, explained more deeply about using official vehicles in the Papua area. In his interview with the media, Jeri explained that the use of official vehicles in Papua is in accordance with the rules.
The official vehicles owned by civil servants in the Papua region have been operating according to their function. In their daily use, civil servants in the Papua region only use official cars for community service purposes.
This is what Jeri Agus Yudianto conveyed. “We see that the use of official vehicles is in accordance with the regulations. To provide services to the community,” said Jeri on 09/04/2023.
However, as a precautionary measure, the Government of Papua often repeats reminders about the function of this official car. One example is the action taken by the Biak Numfor Regency Government on April 8, 2023.
Strictly speaking, the Biak Numfor Regency Government reminded that official vehicles are vehicles that function to serve the community. Official vehicles are only intended to support work operations. Especially the relation is to serve the interests of society.
Herry Ario Naap, as the Regent of Biak Numfor, emphasized this rule. According to him, the only function of official vehicles is to support the work of serving the community.
“Take care of the official vehicles the local government provides to support office work. Official vehicles are not for other purposes such as personal needs,” said Herry.
Furthermore, Herry added that he would not hesitate to act against his subordinates if they did not follow this rule. Once again, the official car is an operational work vehicle and cannot be used as a private vehicle.
Use of Official Vehicle for Homecoming
Approaching the Idul Fitri holiday, the use of an official vehicle for homecoming is back in the public spotlight. Can civil servants’ official vehicles be used for going home?
Responding to this, Jeri Agus Yudianto gave his statement. So far, Jeri has not issued regulations regarding the ban on official vehicles for homecoming 2023. This is because most conditions for going home in the Papua region are by boat and plane.
As of April 9, 2023, Jeri explained that a new regulation would be issued if there was a leaflet or decision from the Governor. Only after this leaflet is issued will he give a regulation letter. But even so, Jeri appealed to all civil servants to comply with the leave and holiday regulations the government would set later.
Latest Circular Letter 2023 Concerning Service Vehicles for Homecoming
On April 14, 2023, the Circular of the Minister for Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (MENPANRB) No. 7/2023 came out. This circular regulates the travel protocol for civil servants during the 2023 joint leave period.
The letter clearly states two essential points explaining the rules for using official vehicles. These two points are as follows:
- Employees May Not Use Official Vehicles for Homecoming or On Vacation
No officials or employees use official vehicles to go home or on vacation. Vehicles also may not be used for other purposes that are not official interests.
- Discipline Penalties for Violating Employees
Civil servants will get disciplinary punishment if they are found to violate these rules. In short, the penalty is based on Government Regulation Number 94 of 2021 and Government Regulation Number 49 of 2018.
In sum, although there have been no violations, the Papua Government reprimanded official vehicles only for community service. For official vehicle regulations for homecoming, the local government only urges civil servants to comply with the leave provisions of the central government.
