Deputy Minister of Home Affairs urges value-based leadership and public service

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto emphasised the importance of leadership grounded in the values of integrity and commitment to public service, rather than on short-term political considerations. In his remarks at the book discussion event Babad Alas in the Secretariat of the Cilegon City Government, Banten, on Wednesday, 20 May, Bima shared his experiences at the start of his tenure leading Bogor City and facing various governance challenges, from public criticism to efforts to build a clean and professional bureaucracy. Bima, quoted from a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday, admitted that he had sought value-based grounding in making decisions as a leader. ‘Life is only once; do not be enslaved by material things, and life must have meaning,’ said Bima. He believes a leader must have strong principles so as not to be trapped by pragmatic interests or momentary political calculations. He then recounted his experience when he began reforming the permit service system in the area he led. He said that experience became the starting point for building a governance culture that is cleaner, more professional, and oriented toward public service. He argued that bureaucratic reform cannot rely solely on a personal approach, but must be built through a public service system that can prevent malpractices. Therefore, Bima developed the concept of the Public Service Mall (MPP) to facilitate public access to services while also driving a change in the mindset of civil servants (ASN) to be more responsive in serving. ‘My target at that time was the head of DPMPTSP (Dinas Penanaman Modal dan Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu); not just to be present, but to serve, to make things easier and to make people happy,’ he said. Finally, Bima urged all government officials to continue building a work culture that is disciplined, service-oriented, and focused on the interests of the people.