Governor of Bangka Belitung Implements Civil Service Travel Controls to Strengthen Budget Efficiency

Hidayat Arsani, Governor of Bangka Belitung Islands province, has implemented a travel control policy for civil service officials (ASN) as part of efforts to achieve regional budget efficiency. The policy requires all official travel—whether by echelon II, III, and IV officials or regular staff—to obtain prior authorization from the governor's office. This measure is intended to ensure budgetary resources are allocated wisely, equitably, and effectively while maintaining regional financial health amid significant budget cuts compared to the previous year.

According to the governor, the rationale behind the policy is to ensure official travel serves only urgent and necessary purposes with demonstrable public benefit. The governor specifically cautioned against travel merely to deliver documents that could be sent via courier services, emphasizing that all business trips must have clear urgency and generate tangible value for citizens. Despite these restrictions, the governor clarified that essential public services must continue, including extension programs, agricultural services, hospital healthcare delivery, mobile vehicle registration services, and other public service initiatives.

The budget efficiency measures have already yielded positive results, including the government's continued ability to pay employee benefits such as salaries for contract-based workers (PPPK), part-time PPPK staff, and the thirteenth-month supplementary income allowance for civil servants. The governor emphasized that civil servants play a strategic role in determining public service quality and regional development success, calling on all employees to foster a positive, productive, professional, and responsible work culture. He stressed that discipline among civil servants is the foundation for building a strong and trusted government, expressing confidence that with maintained discipline, high work spirit, and strong service commitment, the provincial government can achieve professional, responsive, and accountable governance.