Home Minister Stresses ASN Must Adapt and Serve Diverse Communities

Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Muhammad Tito Karnavian has stressed that civil servants (ASN) must be able to adapt to the characteristics of each region and be ready to serve a highly diverse public. The message was delivered during his address at the Open Senate Session of the Institute of Home Affairs Governance (IPDN) for the graduation of the Applied Bachelor of Governmental Science, Applied Master of Governmental Science, Civil Service Profession Education, and Doctoral Programme in Governmental Science for the 2025/2026 Academic Year at the Balairung Rudini Building, IPDN Jatinangor Campus, Sumedang Regency, West Java. Tito stated that IPDN graduates will become part of the ASN, playing a crucial role in managing government administration effectively and efficiently. He noted that the challenges are significant because Indonesia is an archipelagic nation with a large population and a high degree of pluralism. He explained that Indonesia possesses a complexity not found in many other countries, both in terms of geography and societal character. Therefore, every ASN must understand the diverse social conditions to ensure optimal public service. “And Indonesia is a large country, we must truly understand that. Our country is the largest archipelagic state in the world. The largest archipelagic state with the largest population is Indonesia. This creates its own complexity in managing government administration,” Tito said in a written statement. He added that Indonesia’s diversity is reflected in the differing characters of its communities. Citing a sociologist’s view, the Home Minister mentioned that Indonesia has four types of societies: informative society, industrial society, agricultural society, and pre-agricultural society. Each has different characteristics and needs from government services. Because of this, ASN cannot apply a uniform approach in every region. He stated that the ability to adapt is one of the keys to success in carrying out government duties. “And you will face them, you will have to serve them. Because you will be stationed all over Indonesia. And you must be ready for that,” he said. Furthermore, Tito reminded IPDN graduates not to be selective about their postings. ASN must be ready to be stationed in all parts of Indonesia and be able to apply their knowledge of governance according to the local community’s conditions. “And you must be ready to adapt and apply governance knowledge according to the very varied conditions of society. Do not think that you will only serve in Bandung or Jakarta,” he concluded.