Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's dream to have a corruption-free and efficient immigration office, which does not embarrass him at international forums, will not come easy.
His intention to totally reform the office is being challenged by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, which does not want to lose its primary revenue stream.
Justice ministry secretary-general Hasanuddin Massaile said on Saturday there was no need to separate the immigration office from the ministry because time had proven the existing model was still "the best".
The office was first put under the ministry in 1983 when it was run by minister Ali Said.
"There have been nine justice ministers since Pak Ali Said, who also raised the issue of separating the two institutions but they all backed off because they had no better alternative," Hasanuddin said.
The immigration office, which is authorized to issue passports and handle other immigration services, is one of five directorate generals under the justice ministry. The other four are the directorate general for penitentiaries, for intellectual property rights, for human rights and the directorate general for legal administration.
An official involved in the plan to reform the immigration office said the President's idea would likely spark a protracted debate.
"The immigration office is the justice ministry's backbone in terms of finance and power," the official, who asked not to be named, told The Jakarta Post.
The official criticized the ministry's plan to increase the salaries of immigration officials as the way to improve their services.
"That's hilarious. Would the salary increase boost their performance if they still have the old mentality and maintain the corrupt system? The President wants to reform the whole system," the official said.
Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin earlier said that there would be a major organizational and personnel restructuring at the office. But he also rejected the idea of splitting the office from his ministry.
Susilo has been irked by various reports about the poor performance of the immigration office, which he likens to the "face of Indonesia". He ordered total reform after he received reports from foreign investors during a recent East Asia Summit about graft involving immigration officers.
State Minister of Administrative Reform Taufik Effendi has said his office supported the separation of the immigration ministry from the justice ministry, either in the form of "a subsidiary company of a holding company" or a non-ministry institution.
Indonesia set up the immigration office in 1950 under the supervision of the ministry of justice. In 1983, the justice ministry restructured it and made it into a directorate general.