Gianyar regency cuts through red tape

By William Sommers

JAKARTA (JP): Lately the Jakarta Post has been focusing on ways to reduce corruption in the Indonesian government.

Suggestions from editorial writers, pundits and commentators include social control, modernized bureaucracy, better pay, more accountability and even an independent supervisory body.

There is one common thread: the need for transparency in government from national policy formation down to the everyday actions affecting millions of citizens.

But there's no need to worry because the solution is alive and flourishing right here in Indonesia. A transparent, service- oriented system is operating day-in and day-out, affecting thousands of ordinary citizens in Gianyar regency in Bali.

Upon taking office four years ago, the Gianyar regency found that the biggest complaint among citizens was their inability to penetrate the red tape which effectively strangled applications for permits, registrations and approvals required by the government.

Citizens spent countless hours getting hammered by the bureaucrats while trying to penetrate the maze of endless official approvals. Coordination between departments was non- existent so people had to either bridge the gap themselves or, in total frustration, forget about the whole thing.

The regency knew a substantial turnabout was needed. Charged with solving the problem, the regency administration proposed a "one-stop permit system."

The system, which began in November 1994 and was revised with experience, is now a model of transparency, efficiency and -- most of all -- responsiveness. The applying citizen is no longer viewed as a nuisance but an important customer.

The new system includes eight key permits: land use, building construction, business, commercial and industrial operations, personal identification cards, land title certificates and birth certificates. The regency has gathered all the permitting authorities under one roof where citizens, upon lodging their application, need do no more. All the interaction is done by the regency employees operating out of Gianyar's Integrated Services Unit.

Now an applicant enters a fully transparent operation where all the rules and requirements, the approval system, the costs and the waiting time are posted in large print on the wall, summarized in an excellent, well written citizen guide and repeated again at each of the eight permitting counters.

No price negotiations for getting things done quickly -- or even at all -- no unknown rules or procedures pop up when you least expect it and nobody looks down on you.

The unit is housed in one building, divided into eight clearly marked counters where courteous government officers give advice and help with applications. When the document is filed they tell you how long it will take and how much it will cost.

A separate information desk provides details and distributes copies of the guide for citizens. A large waiting room has comfortable seats for applicants, a public telephone, newspapers and a clean lavatory.

Applications are entered into a computer network which connects the central approving agencies and the regency's seven subdistricts. Citizens can check the disposition of their applications while the Unit's coordinator can review applications to identify possible problems or noncompliance with the posted time schedule.

The regency operates five mobile units which shuttle between the central office and the subdistricts, bringing applications and documentation from the subdistrict office to the center for processing. The mobile units also deliver the approved permits directly to the citizen and collect the posted fees -- and no tipping, please.

The results are remarkable both in numbers and in compliance. General applications are up by 22 percent and difficult applications like building construction and land title have increased by 274 percent and 69 percent respectively.

People have more faith in the system and are applying for their permits where in the past they avoided the frustration by not applying at all.

These improvements were made without outside consultants or external loans. The personnel were not increased but reassigned to more productive tasks. The experts were from Gianyar, the funds came from the regency and the provincial government. The benefits went to the people.

Academics, consultants, editorial writers and pundits need look no further, Gianyar is the place to start. Imagine if these improvements were put in place in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Ujung Pandang, Yogyakarta, Bandung and in the central government.

Why not? Gianyar didn't do it with mirrors or with miracles. It applied common sense, a touch of political will and evident courage to solve a problem that has made a significant difference in the way Gianyar operates. If its lead is followed, getting a transparent, responsive Indonesian government into the 21st century will be a piece of cake.

The writer is a Resident Representative for Research Triangle Institute, Indonesia.