Home Ministry’s Regional Autonomy Director General Akmal Malik said the ministry had formed a team to monitor the acting administration heads to measure and evaluate their performance.
By
NIKOLAUS HARBOWO, PRAYOGI DWI SULISTYO
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MARINA EKATARI
Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian inaugurated five acting regional heads, Thursday (12/5/2022).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The appointment of acting regional heads in recent weeks has created energy-draining polemics among the public. Once installed as administration caretakers, the government is expected to increase the monitoring and control mechanisms on the acting regional heads by involving the public in order to ensure good governance.
The polemics are evident in governors’ refusal to inaugurate an appointed figure as acting regent or mayor, or the opposition to the appointment of active military members.
However, the planned inauguration of Apriyadi as Musi Banyuasin interim regent by South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru, on Monday (30/5/2022), signals an uneasy truce between a number of governors and Home Minister Tito Karnavian.
Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi and the Governor of North Maluku Abdul Gani Kasuba had previously suspended regents’ inauguration, saying the minister’s appointees were not on the proposed lists. However, the governors relented and the caretakers were finally sworn in on Friday (27/5).
As many as 43 regencies or municipalities are now led by interim heads with the regional outgoing heads and deputies seeing out their office terms on Sunday (22/5). The government will appoint another 11 in July.
On the other hand, governors were reminded that their proposals would not necessarily be accepted, given that the central government conducts an assessment based on certain parameters, track records etc.
Soni Sumarsono, head of the Abdi Negara School of Government Science, said in Jakarta on Sunday that the refusal of the government-appointed interim regents or mayors should be a lesson learned for the Home Ministry. On the other hand, governors were reminded that their proposals would not necessarily be accepted, given that the central government conducts an assessment based on certain parameters, track records etc.
However, the central government is expected to respect the governors’ proposals, because they are based on the wishes of the people. It would be best that the central government avoid choosing candidates not on the lists, he said, as a token of respect to the governors as representatives of the central government in the regions.
Regarding the polemics regarding the appointment of active military personnel as acting regional heads, Soni hoped that the government could provide an explanation to the public.
Apart from the polemics, Soni said, caretakers were required to have clear work programs and communicate them with the local legislature (DPRD) as well as the public to ensure good and effective governance in the post-incumbent head period.
"If you don't have a [clearly envisaged] work program as [administration] head, it's just a disaster," he said.
Technical regulations
Herman Nurcahyadi Suparman, executive director of the Monitoring Committee for the Implementation of Regional Autonomy, said the monitoring and evaluation mechanism for the acting regional heads should be clear so that opposition to the unexpected caretakers could be reconciled.
KOMPAS
Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian will propose three names of candidates for the interim governor of DKI Jakarta, replacing Anies Baswedan.
He also said based on the experience of selecting acting regional heads in the past month, technical regulations were the main issues. He added the central government should clearly define the technical regulations governing the mechanism of selecting and appointing officials.
The technical regulations ought to include the authority granted the acting regional head, such as rights and obligations, as well as the duties and functions. These technical regulations would need to be promoted systematically to the DPRD, community leaders and the public.
They would need to contain assessment indicators related to the dimension of administration affairs, ranging from planning, budgeting, policies and institutions to public services. The administration should pay attention to the principles of good governance, such as transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and legal certainty. "It must exist or be stated in regulations and available to all parties. [Evaluation must be done] every three months to see if the mechanism [works]. There needs to be assessment indicators and we hope that the monitoring and evaluation process involves the public," Herman said.
Home Ministry’s Regional Autonomy Director General Akmal Malik said the ministry had formed a team to monitor the acting administration heads to measure and evaluate their performance. At the same time, they would be required to submit regular reports to the ministry.
"We’ll see if they perform or not. We’ll also find out if they engage more in [their working] area or spend more time in Jakarta. If, for example, the main task is handling COVID-19, and it is not completed, it is possible that the [Indonesian] President [Joko “Jokowi” Widodo] will rotate the post or that his appointment decree will be revoked," Akmal said.
The national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to add to their workload.
He explained that caretaker heads had the obligation to oversee national strategic programs, including bureaucratic reform, the restructuring of regional regulations and economic improvement. The national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to add to their workload.
He said for those who failed to run the programs, the central government had the right to replace them with more qualified officials. They were also welcome to give feedback to the home minister if they found a government employee (ASN) in their working area uncooperative. Any delinquent government employee would be proposed for transfer on the grounds that such an attitude did not support the national strategic program.
Akmal emphasized that all circles from the DPRD, public and media were encouraged to participate in supervising the performance of regional heads. The Home Ministry is open to feedback, he said. (BOW/PDS)
