Battle of Interests in the Bureaucracy

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents cross the Covid-19 and political murals in Jatikramat, Bekasi City, West Java, Monday (26/10/2020).

Position is a mandate, which can be taken at any time. State administrators will also prioritize the interests of the state, serve the people, the country and the nation.

The one who wins the general election or regional election will declare that as the head of the region or the head of state, he or she will serve and protect all the people, not only political parties or citizens who vote for him. Before taking office, they also promise to carry out their obligations as well as possible and as fairly as possible, uphold Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and carry out laws and regulations in a straightforward way.

Also read: Restoring the Sovereignty of the People

Someone who holds a state administrator position also promises to carry out his duties with full devotion, awareness and responsibility; maintain dignity, work honestly, orderly, carefully, and passionately for the interests of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

However, because of the diverse backgrounds of the ranks of bureaucracy, differences in government administration can occur, even though the goal should remain the same.

The head of state, regional heads and other state administrators, at the central or regional levels, in the same spirit form a bureaucracy to serve the people. Bureaucracy is defined as a government system run by government officials/employees who hold a position. However, because of the diverse backgrounds of the ranks of bureaucracy, differences in government administration can occur, even though the goal should remain the same.

Kompas

A moral message for public officials is printed on a mural on Jalan TB Simatupang, Jakarta, Thursday (5/4/2012).

In the past week we have been presented with the fact that state administrators, bureaucracy, does not always go hand in hand in order to realize the ideals of the NKRI. For example, dualism in determining the regional secretary of Papua Province, the less than harmonious relationship between the Mayor of Tegal (Central Java) and his deputy, and the Governor of South Sulawesi who was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission. Such incidents are actually not the first in the history of bureaucracy and government politics in this country.

Also read: Lack of Political Will

Harold Lasswell, an American political scientist, defines politics as who gets what and how to get it. Principles, values, and ethics are not variables considered for gaining power. The former British Foreign Secretary, Lord Henry John Temple Palmerston, also reminded that in politics there are no friends or enemies that are eternal. It is the interests that are eternal.

Kompas

A mural containing an appeal to choose the best regional leader candidates adorns the tunnel walls in Bungur, Jakarta, Tuesday (10/7/2012).

It is not the state\'s interest that is reflected when the Papua Provincial Government, the governor and deputy governor, made a bid for the regional secretary, who was appointed the Home Minister. In fact, there are regulations regarding the authority to elect the regional secretaries. It is not known as to whose interests colored when the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Tegal had different stances, so the Governor of Central Java was forced to intervene. Differences in standpoints, "pecah kongsi" (broken partnership), between regional heads and deputies, often occur in this country. It is also certain that it is not the interests of the state that are behind corruption by state administrators.

Also read: Corruption Emergency

In fact, the interests of state administrators, the bureaucracy, whoever they are, should only be one, for the welfare of the people and prioritizing the interests of the state, the interests of the people. It is not be otherwise, they compete to prioritize their respective interests, and that the interests of the people are neglected.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).