Govt should act on widening social gap: Ginandjar

Govt should act on widening social gap: Ginandjar

By Santi WE Sukanto and R. Fadjri

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The government shoulders the greatest responsibility in correcting shortcomings occurring in current development programs, as well as closing social gaps, Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita concluded.

Delivering his oration before a senate of professors at the Gadjah Mada University on Saturday, after receiving his honorary doctoral degree, Ginandjar said Indonesia has achieved much in the last 25 years.

The efforts to launch the market economy, by a series of deregulations, has spurred impressive growth, especially in the industrial manufacturing sector, and has ushered in structural economic transformations.

This campaign for efficient economics, however, has given birth to an "unwanted child", which is the widening gap of wealth due to uneven opportunities for society members, Ginandjar said.

"This emerging gap has to be stopped," he said in a ceremony for the conferring of the title, led by Rector Sukanto Reksohadiprodjo.

"In the effort to develop and achieve even and just distribution, the role of the bureaucracy is very important," he said. "This is one responsibility that cannot be privatized, like other development jobs."

The public has the moral responsibility to, and is expected to participate in, the campaign against social gaps. But the "full responsibility remains in the hands of the government", he said.

In his oration, Ginandjar discussed at length the problems of social justice and the need for efficient bureaucracy to redress social gaps.

In order to fulfill the mandate, there has to be "reform in the performance, ethics and working ethos of the government apparatus," he said.

He said the bureaucracy has to increase the people's participation in development. The Inpres Desa Tertinggal program, for poverty eradication, which is managed by his office, is an example of such participation, he said.

The bureaucracy should also be siding with the under- privileged, instead of gravitating toward the powerful. "Neutrality is not enough," Ginandjar said.

The bureaucracy should also switch roles now; it should start guiding, instead of controlling, and empowering, instead of giving to, the public.

He said a good and efficient bureaucracy should also develop transparency and accountability.

"Concealment is often a cover up for incapability and reflects reluctance to accept criticism", he said to loud applause from the attending academicians and other guests.

Exploring the issue of accountability further, Ginandjar said that "policies which will affect the public greatly should be discussed openly before implementation".

"Public debate will increase the quality of the policies taken and will guarantee the solicitation of public support, no matter how difficult the consequences will be for the people," he asserted.

The honorary title, the third to be conferred upon Ginandjar, is for the science of development administration. The first two degrees, for economics and public service respectively, were given to Ginandjar last year by the Takushoku University in Tokyo, Japan, and the Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ginandjar said that in the increasingly sophisticated communities, government officials are expected to be ready to explain and give account of their duties.

"Because of the technology of information, no event can occur in isolation, and news of glitches spread rapidly," he said. "A government official cannot only be held accountable by his superior, but also by the public."

"Even if it is his superior who can impose sanctions against the officials, public pressure will still grow and exert great influence on decisions made by that official," he said.

Several high-profile guests attending the conferring ceremony, including businessmen Aburizal Bakrie and Fadel Muhammad, applauded Ginandjar's proposals for a more accountable bureaucracy.

"It's time that we institutionalize public debates every time the government plans to implement a new policy," Aburizal said. "This will help eliminate the image of the government as the all- knowing, and will help boost the private sector's participation in development."

"I welcome Ginandjar's call that the bureaucracy should take sides with the underprivileged," Fadel said.