Governance in Indonesia Still Problematic

KOMPAS/ANTONY LEE

The country with the best and worst developments in the 2010-2020 Fragile State Index. This is seen on the fragilestatesindex.org online page.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The weakening of the two indicators in the political aspect as measured in the 2021 Fragile State Index indicates that there are still problems in governance in Indonesia. It cannot be ignored because the decline is related to the public’s acceptance of the state.

In the 2021 Fragile State Index (FSI), Indonesia\'s ranking has generally improved thanks to an improvement in the indicators in three aspects, namely economic, social and cohesion (Kompas, 23/5/2021). However, the ranking in the political aspect has decreased. The decline in the political aspect is due to the weakening of two indicators, namely state legitimacy and public services.

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In the 2020 FSI, Indonesia’s score for the state legitimacy indicator was 4.2, while the score for the public service indicator was 5.1. In the latest index released on May 21, 2021, the country\'s state legitimacy score is 4.4, while the score for public services is 6.1. The score is based on a scale of 0 to 10, the higher the score, the worse.

According to Eko Prasojo, a professor in the School of Administrative Sciences at the University of Indonesia, there is pressure on the political aspect, which requires the government’s immediate response as the aspects of state legitimacy and public services are critical and strategic indicators for a nation and state.

At the most basic level, it is related to the quality and access to public services received by the community.

"These two indicators are related to the level of the public’s acceptance of the state. It determines whether the community feels the existence of the state is necessary. At the most basic level, it is related to the quality and access to public services received by the community," Eko said on Sunday (23/5).

The two indicators can be improved by strengthening the aspect of government, professionalism and the merit system in the bureaucracy. It means that the government’s efforts in serving the community and prioritizing the public interest should be further encouraged, in addition to establishing a government that is responsible, accountable and transparent.

KOMPAS/ANTONY LEE

Map of  Fragile State Index 2020. This is seen on the fragilestatesindex.org online page.

"In practice, public service is currently filled with corruption, collusion and nepotism, especially services provided by regional governments, such as in subdistricts and districts, and some UPTDs (regional technical implementation units) of public services. The existence of public services in the regions is still very dominant in shaping the public\'s perception of the poor quality of public services," said Eko.

Other aspects that need to be mended are those related to electoral system and political parties. The high political cost to participate in elections or regional head elections also hampers good governance practices.

The weakening state legitimacy is considered to be influenced by the strong influence of the economic and political oligarchy in various public policy processes and government decisions.

Elections as one of the determinants of the quality of democracy are still unable to produce a democracy that is based on government performance and the quality of public services.

Commitment

The deputy V of the Presidential Staff Office, Jaleswari Pramodhawardhani, said the government was committed to improving the weakening political aspects in the 2021 FSI. According to him, the decline in the scores in the political aspects is influenced by a number of factors, such as the high number of corruption cases, increasing cases of terrorism, narrowing space for civil liberties and the government\'s response to democracy.

Kompas

Jaleswari Pramodhawardani.

Regarding corruption cases, for example, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has consistently said the prevention of corruption and the prosecution of those involved in corruption should be carried out simultaneously. However, these efforts are often hampered by the lack of commitment on the part of law enforcement and regulatory agencies. "It needs cooperation from all parties to guard it all," she said.

She also said the government\'s cooperation with the community played a key role in the improvement in the scores in the 2021 FSI. In fact, since the launch of the FSI in 2006, Indonesia\'s score has continued to improve. In the first FSI, Indonesia was ranked 32nd with a score of 89.2. Now the country is ranked 99th with a score of 67.6.

This also shows Indonesia\'s ability to maintain national resilience from the cohesion, economic, political and social aspects that consistently improve. "Hopefully [the improvement] in the aspect of social cohesion becomes social capital for massive acceleration in the field of development, using the pandemic to take big leaps," said Jaleswari.

The deputy chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives from the NasDem Faction, Saan Mustopa, promised he would continue to encourage improvements in governance through public services and strengthening state legitimacy. Regarding the strengthening of state legitimacy, there should be an improvement in the government\'s response to various articulations of the public interest, whether delivered formally or through demonstrations and open statements. Using persuasive, dialogical and democratic methods must be prioritized.

Kompas

Saan Mustopa

"Every policy receives approval or disapproval, but responding to the articulation of public opinion should not give the impression that it is being handled with repression or persecution" he said.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)