Public Services Tested by Epidemic

SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo chairs a limited meeting through a teleconference from Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/4/2020). The meeting discussed mitigation efforts on the impact of COVID-19 on micro, small and medium enterprises.

Many are hoping that public services can run normally with only a few adjustments during the Covid-19 epidemic. The continuation of quality services will serve as a test for public service providers.

Many are worried about the continued provision of public services amid the Covid-19 outbreak that has swept through the country. The imposition of the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in several regions has severely restricted the people’s movement. Nevertheless, the public continues to hope that public services can still run normally.

In line with this hope, the public appreciates government’s commitment in serving their various needs. More than 60 percent of respondents in a recent poll believe that all public service providers were still striving to provide excellent services during the epidemic.

Also read: Preparing for the Worst

In a Kompas R&D poll held last week, 41.5 percent of respondents said that public services were still running well. Meanwhile, 34.4 percent of respondents said that public services lacked quality. The remaining 5.9 percent of respondents said that they found public services to be wanting, without any further explanation. The top-ranking service was the retail goods sector, which was appreciated by 83.7 percent of respondents. It was followed by social services (73.7 percent), non-governmental services (67.8 percent) and governmental services (64.3 percent).

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziah, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H Laoly and Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto attend a meeting with the House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) to discuss the omnibus bill on job creation in Jakarta on April 14. The meeting, which was also live streamed, presented the government’s explanation of the controversial bill.

These responses derive from the respondents’ own experiences, of which 50.3 percent said that they had used public service facilities during the epidemic. Of this group of respondents, almost half (44.4 percent) complained about a longer wait to be served, while 17.8 percent complained about a shortage of public service staff. Other complaints included higher fees, longer queues and shorter operational hours.

This critical assessment is also reflected in the number of complaints the ministries in charge of public services have received. Between 17 March and 9 April 2020, the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry received 348 complaints, with the top complaints referring to population administration (153 complaints), followed by electricity supply (116 complaints) and tax-related issues (40 complaints). (Kompas, 13 April 2020)

Online services

The government, as the principal provider of public services, has been relatively responsive in light of these critical assessments and complaints. It has provided the public with a broad means to report their public service experiences through Lapor.go.id. The keywords available on the website include government aid, social distancing, regional quarantine, rapid testing and hospital facilities.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Head of the Office of Population and Civil Registration of Cirebon City Atang Hasan in Cirebon, West Java, on Tuesday (17/3/2020).

The survey respondents also hope that public services will quickly adapt to their conditions under the physical distancing policies for the health crisis, which require established infrastructure in the provision of online services. Half of all respondents (53.9 percent) demand online public services.

Unfortunately, hurdles persist in developing the digital services infrastructure. A Kompas article published on 23 April 2020 showed that 47 out of 514 regional population and civil records offices have only partially switched to digital services. Limited internet access and the lack of capacity among civil servants are among the major hurdles.

It is understandable that people want quality services. Law No. 25/2009 on public services mandates the government to provide convenient, easily accessible and measurable services. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the Covid-19 epidemic has overwhelmed public service providers. The public is understanding of the situation, but remain critical.

Concerns

Other than administrative issues, complaints have also been made about basic services. The chief concern, as conveyed by 38 percent of respondents, is the availability of staple goods to meet their daily needs. The second highest concern is health services, with 23.8 percent of respondents worried that health services will be disrupted with many medical workers and facilities focusing on Covid-19 mitigation efforts. The third highest concern is job security amid the rampant layoffs.

Of these three concerns, the government has issued stimulus packages to buoy social protection. For basic needs, the government has earmarked a social assistance budget of Ro 110 trillion (US$7.16 billion) comprising a higher social safety net allocation (Rp 65 trillion), a higher budget for maintaining staple goods supplies to meet the people’s needs as well as market and distribution needs (Rp 25 trillion), and an adjusted education budget for Covid-19 mitigation (Rp 20 trillion).

In health, the government has allocated a Rp 75 trillion subsidy of adjusted premiums for non-salaried workers and non-workers (Rp 3 trillion), incentives for medical workers (Rp 5.9 trillion), death benefits for medical workers (Rp 0.3 trillion) and health spending (Rp 65.8 trillion). (Kompas, 21 April 2020).

The program is open to Indonesians aged 18 years and above and prioritizes job seekers and owners of micro, small and medium businesses that have been affected by Covid-19.

Meanwhile, to resolve the issue of job availability, the government has launched the Preemployment Card program, which provides skills training and other benefits for participants. The program is open to Indonesians aged 18 years and above and prioritizes job seekers and owners of micro, small and medium businesses that have been affected by Covid-19.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Workers cut up used plastic packaging for recycling at Pejaten Indah 2, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Monday (13/1/2020).

Despite these efforts by the government, people are still concerned that the epidemic will affect the quality of public services. Amid the epidemic, optimizing public services by providing them through online channels is a viable alternative, despite the challenges to public service providers.

The Covid-19 epidemic is a test for public service providers. The public hopes that the epidemic will not have a large impact on service quality, even if technical adjustments must be made to adhere to health emergency protocols.

(KOMPAS R&D)