Bima Arya Stresses ASN Must Have Empathy and a Serving Spirit
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto has stressed the importance of transforming public services by strengthening service orientation, empathy, and innovation among the state civil apparatus (ASN). This is crucial, including in supporting the achievement of Minimum Service Standards (SPM) in the education and health sectors.
According to Bima, a fundamental challenge still faced by ASN and regional heads is ensuring that every policy and programme is truly oriented towards serving the community. "The serious challenge for ASN is the understanding that they, or we all, are public servants. That is the main issue for all new regional heads," Bima stated in a written release on Wednesday (24/6/2026).
He made the remarks while opening a Design Thinking training session for district/city government ASN, themed ‘Transformation of Public Services: The Role of ASN in Realising Adaptive, Innovative, and Impactful SPM for Citizens’, at the Ashley Hotel in Jakarta on Wednesday (24/6).
Bima explained that a spirit of service is key to narrowing the gap between development visions and realities on the ground. He noted that the success of government programmes cannot be measured solely by the execution of activities or the achievement of administrative targets; the most important measure is the tangible impact felt by the community.
Therefore, Bima emphasised the importance of utilising data, dialogue, and citizen-centred approaches in the policy formulation process. He assessed that ASN need to be more active in going into the field to understand the problems faced by the community directly.
"What we work on must be what citizens need, what they feel, and what is a main issue. Design thinking is oriented towards a human-centred approach, towards our ability to have empathy for what is needed," Bima said.
Furthermore, Bima revealed that the Ministry of Home Affairs is currently paying attention to around 140 regions facing challenges in meeting Minimum Service Standards due to limited budget capacity. These conditions require creativity and innovation from ASN so that basic services in education and health can continue to run optimally.
According to Bima, the ASN of the future must not only master administrative aspects but also be able to build collaboration, utilise data appropriately, and maintain good communication with the community to produce impactful policies.
The training, organised by The Reform Initiatives and supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) and the Ford Foundation, was attended by participants from 17 districts/cities across five provinces. This activity is part of efforts to strengthen ASN capacity in designing public policies and services that are more responsive to community needs and support the achievement of SPM in the regions.