Bureaucracy Performance Far from Effective

KOMPAS/NINA SUSILO

Korpri officials take a photo with President Joko Widodo in front of the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday (26/2/2019).In his remarks, the President hoped that Korpri could manage the steps that were in line both at the central and regional levels to continue building the nation.

Effective government cannot be achieved simply by downsizing the bureaucracy. It requires changing the work culture in addition to overcoming regulatory disharmony and interinstitutional incoordination.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government’s performance has yet to meet public expectations, particularly during the Covid-19 health emergency when effective government is needed to manage the epidemic as well as its impacts. The public is concerned that several recent policy breakthroughs could lead to legal problems as well as regulatory disharmony that could hamper the bureaucracy.

The government’s ineffectiveness has been an unresolved issue from one administration to the next. Since the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin have repeatedly complained about the bureaucracy, which has been slow and cumbersome.

The two state leaders have consistently called on the bureaucracy to find solutions, particularly as the country continues to face the Covid-19 pandemic. However, their call has not been met to date.

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This can be seen, at the very least, from the low realization of spending in this year’s regional budget (APBD) and the state budget (APBN).

According to data as of 27 Aug. 2020 at the Home Ministry’s financial development directorate general, only around 43.04 percent of APBD spending has been realized. As for ministries and state agencies, spending has reached around 48 percent, whereas the 2020 budget closes in four months’ time. In the meantime, it is hoped that budget spending will increase soon to stimulate the economic slump due to Covid-19 impacts.

Professor Djohermansyah Djohan of the Governance Institute of Domestic Affairs (IPDN) said when contacted at the weekend that state institutions were concerned about the legal repercussions of any policy solutions they developed, particularly those on budget spending. Thus, they often delayed their work, citing technical instruction or guidance. In fact, they frequently sought legislator approval.

KOMPAS/NINA SUSILO

Djohermansyah Djohan

“The bureaucracy goes a long way in order [ensure they are] safe [from legal issues]. It\'s the iron law of the bureaucracy," said Djohan.

Separately, executive director Robert Endi Jaweng of the Regional Autonomy Watch said there regulatory disharmony was commonplace and confused bureaucratic officials.

Most recently, he pointed to confusion that surfaced among village administrations following the issuance of the Letter of the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister No. S.2294/HM.01.03/VIII/2020 dated 4 Aug. 2020, which stipulated the provision of face masks as an obligation under the “500 million face masks” program.

"This is a real problem. In villages, most of the village funds have been spent on other things, whether the BLT [direct cash assistance] or to implement specific village programs. And now, well, the minister issues a circular that is mandatory. Where will the funding [for the masks] come from?" said Robert.

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Coordination issues between government agencies also remained a problem, he added. This could be seen in the distribution of social assistance to people who were affected by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, many social assistance schemes were not on target. "Building a solid and [accurate] database [that spans] from the national to the regional levels remains a major task," he said.

APIP Assistance

In response to the low budget spending, Home Minister Tito Karnavian acknowledged that many officials were concerned about the possibility of legal issues, so they were slow to spend the budget.

In connection with this, he urged the role of the Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus (APIP) to be strengthened to provide supervision and guidance for the activities of the government and local administrations.

Due to the current situation, regional administrations were more careful in budget spending.

Tito said that apart from this, many regional administrations tended to set very high income targets without considering the region’s potential. This had only grown worse during the health emergency, as regional incomes had declined, including from potential levies and taxes. Another problem was the decline in regional transfers as a consequence of falling state revenue due to the crisis. Due to the current situation, regional administrations were more careful in budget spending.

"They are being careful about procurements while paying close attention to [their] cash flows," said Tito.

PUSAT PENERANGAN KEMENDAGRI

Menteri Dalam Negeri 2014–2019 Tjahjo Kumolo (kiri) menyerahkan buku memori jabatan kepada Minister of Home Affairs 2014–2019 Tjahjo Kumolo (left) hands over a memory book of positions to the new Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, during a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jakarta, on Wednesday (23/10/2019).

To increase their incomes, Tito urged regional administrations to both strengthen and expand their income sources. Optimizing technology was also needed to increase regional incomes.

Bureaucratic downsizing

Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said that one of the challenges the country was facing today was in improving effective governmenance.

Therefore, the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry was continuing with its effort to simplify the bureaucracy. One of the ways to accomplish this was to downsize echelons III, IV and V. Since President Jokowi called for bureaucratic streamlining at the start of the second presidential term, the process had achieved 60 percent completion, with a total of 24,644 positions eliminated from ministries and state agencies.

"The target is to finish [the downsizing] by December. I am optimistic that the target will be achieved," said Tjahjo.

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In addition, the government was continuing with its efforts to merge nonstructural agencies (LNS). The Jokowi administration merged 23 agencies during the President’s first term. A few weeks ago, the President disbanded 18 work teams, bodies and committees, while the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry had proposed that a further 18 state agencies be disbanded.

KOMPAS/KURNIA YUNITA RAHAYU

The atmosphere of the handover of the integrity zone award to an area free from corruption (WBK) and a clean and serving bureaucratic area (WBBM) by the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform in Jakarta, on Tuesday (10/12/2019). A number of state civil servants from Lampung celebrated the award.

Professor Sofian Effendi of Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University highlighted that deregulation must follow the bureaucratic downsizing policy. It was also important to change the bureaucratic mindset, particularly by nurturing an innovative approach to bureaucracy, a bold approach to

developing policy solutions, and a commitment to working hard. Towards this end, it was necessary to overhaul the national education and training curriculum for bureaucrats.