Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has dismissed 120 civil servants and demoted 2,500 others, citing various reasons. Another 30 civil servants, Ahok says, are in the process of dismissal.

According to the governor, most of those who have lost their jobs in the Jakarta city administration have done so because they received bribes or were frequently absent from work.

The disciplinary actions have occur over the course of Ahok's governorship, since his inauguration on Nov. 19 last year when he replaced Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who was elected president.

The governor said that he did not tolerate any civil servant receiving bribes. "Even if you steal small amount of money like Rp 1.5 million (US$104), you will lost your position," the governor declared, as reported by beritajakarta.com.

Ahok said the dismissals of the civil servants have been in accordance with Law No. 5/2015 on the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), which Ahok himself helped to draft when he was a member of House of Representatives legal commission.

He said that in the past, it had been difficult to dismiss civil servants because of the absence of a legal framework, but with the birth of the ASN law, they could be dismissed as long as they had made a serious mistake.

Ahok did not give the names of the dismissed officials, but said they ranged from agency head level to low-ranking staff. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/09/15/120-civil-servants-dismissed-2500-demoted-jakarta.html