State bureaucracy reform needed to face challenges<\/p>\n
DEPOK, West Java (JP): Indonesia's sluggish and centralistic
\nbureaucracy needs to be reformed in order to address people's
\nincreasing demands for better services and face international
\nchallenges, an expert says.<\/p>\n
Azhar Kasim, a state administration scholar, said in a speech
\nmarking his professorship at the University of Indonesia's school
\nof social and political sciences here Saturday that Indonesia's
\nfour million civil servants still provided substandard services.<\/p>\n
\"Such public service is an obstacle to many spheres of public
\nlife... it is not supportive of business enterprises because it
\ncreates inefficiency and it fails to develop many of the
\ncommunity's potentials,\" Azhar said in a ceremony attended by
\nrector Asman Boedisantoso and State Minister of Environment
\nJuwono Sudarsono, who is also a professor of international
\npolitics at the school.<\/p>\n
Azhar said the inefficiency was due to the centralistic nature
\nof the state administration, which relied heavily on detailed
\nprocedures and regulations to prevent violations.<\/p>\n
Feudalism and paternalism pervades the country's political
\nsystem and culture, he added.<\/p>\n
Azhar said reform could take one of two forms, the first being
\na top-to-bottom approach through reorganizing, downsizing and
\neconomizing measures. A second approach could stress reform
\nthrough dialogs, perseverance, deep caring and a wish to change
\nfrom all members of the organization.<\/p>\n
He suggested reforms could start with a focus on the
\nestablishment of policies to improve Indonesia's competitiveness
\nand national leadership incorporating the collective wisdom of
\nthe people.<\/p>\n
Azhar also told Antara that in order for Indonesia to lift
\nitself out of its economic doldrums, the government should
\nprovide transparent bureaucratic services.<\/p>\n
Transparency is needed to prevent miscommunication between
\ncivil servants and the public, he added.<\/p>\n
\"What is really happening here is that both officials and the
\ncommunity do not understand their own roles, rights and
\nresponsibilities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said some government officials could not differentiate
\nbetween their own interests and public interests when it came to
\ntheir family business enterprises.<\/p>\n
\"We need to evaluate the orientation of our state
\nadministration,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"In the United States, it's not easy being a government
\nofficial, because of tight public control. Here, most people do
\nnot understand their role (as a social control mechanism) maybe
\nbecause of the bureaucratic feudalism that we inherited from the
\npast,\" he said. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/state-bureaucracy-reform-needed-to-face-challenges-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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