Indonesia’s Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo clamps down on fake leave permits

Indonesia’s Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, announced that all annual leave and sick‑leave requests by civil servants in the ministry must now be approved directly by him. The move follows his discovery of numerous “bodong” (fake) permits, including forged sick‑letter certificates. By centralising approval, Hanggodo said he can order the Inspector General to investigate any irregularities, stating, “Saya tarik rem supaya semua lari ke saya, kan saya bisa ngecek.”

Previously, leave approval was delegated to the Secretary‑General and the Director‑Generals. Hanggodo acknowledged the added workload but argued the temporary measure is necessary to strengthen integrity within the Ministry of Public Works, which manages a construction budget worth hundreds of trillions of rupiah each year. He indicated the policy will be rolled back once the internal system is properly organised.