REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian government plans to reduce the number of its civil servants naturally and efficiently, President Joko Widodo said here on Tuesday.

"It means if 120,000 retire in a year, within the next five years we will only recruit 60,000 employees. So, the number later will drop a lot," he said after a government working meeting at the finance ministry building.

The President noted that this policy will increase efficiency in expenditures for employees and improve the quality of employees who are hired, adding that the program could not be finished within a year.

He admitted that no decision has been made with regard to the implementation of the concept of rationing, as proposed by the minister of administrative reform, Yuddy Chrisnandi.

"I have not yet received the draft and concept of the plan, but it will be like that," he said.

Minister Yuddy said that if the Indonesian government does not control spending on employees, the expenditure would continue to rise.

He also said the plan was aimed at avoiding state losses due to employee payments.

"Hiring one employee will increase employee and capital spending. The focus is on capital spending," he said.

To develop a program, the ministry of administrative reform has simulated rationing. "We are simulating the number of Indonesian civil servants at around 1.5 percent of the number in the population, and with the assistance of technology it will be sufficient," Yuddy said.

He further explained that with an Indonesian population of some 250 million, employing 3.5 million civil servants would be adequate.

Currently, the number of civil servants in the country is 4.5 million, and Yuddy said his office has suggested reducing and redistributing government employees within three years.

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