No autonomy without reform!

By Donna K. Woodward

MEDAN (JP): There is a lust in some quarters for the consummation of regional autonomy. Before lawmakers have even had time to shape the new political creature, would-be opportunists are focusing myopically on this economically promising initiative, sometimes leaving more critical community needs unattended.

The central government, too, seems impatient to implement autonomy, hoping that a fairer distribution of national wealth will reduce separatist sentiments and regional violence. But autonomy is not a panacea that will cure the nation's social ills.

Autonomy alone can't effectuate economic justice and community peace. The need for some degree of regional self-determination is a given; but if all that autonomy does is benefit regents instead of directors general, mass discontent will continue.

Autonomy per se will do little to increase people's satisfaction with their government, unless it is part of a larger reform package that leads to greater community justice and prosperity.

A reform package must include, among other things, new operating rules for government institutions. Public and private institutions have long operated with unwritten rules that allow corruption, inefficiency and violence to flourish.

Officials are not in their offices at 10 a.m. and are gone for the day by 3 p.m. When the office head is out of the office, all decision-making and document signing seems to halt.

Positions are still given to salaried no-show relatives and friends of the powerful. Civil servants and even key officials sometimes hold several positions at once, doing justice to none.

Employees work without clearly described roles and responsibilities, wandering around offices, sitting and smoking and waiting for the boss to assign them a task.

Police do not show up at crime scenes unless they are paid by the victims. The military does not prevent riots because they are on private duty guarding private homes and business for extra income.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. How can a modern government operate like this? How can officials hope to be respected as serious professionals? How can such a system inspire confidence in investors?

Bureaucracies, their employees, and the public would benefit from new operating rules: competence standards, performance standards, and a code of conduct.

Standards need not be rigid and unforgiving; if well crafted they will nourish an esprit de corps, pride, and dignity in workers. They are a means of transforming an organizational culture from one that is corrupt and inefficient into one that is transparent, accountable, and productive.

Already analysts have begun to call for these innovations. Let government authorities now ensure that they are begun throughout the bureaucracy, so that when local governments become more autonomous they may be ready to serve their communities fairly, efficiently, and without corruption, collusion and nepotism.

Some bureaucratic reforms may be complex to implement, but others are straightforward, requiring little more than political will from leaders. Others could be initiated quickly and would make a visible difference to the public.

In each office, inform employees what the work hours are and set an attendance policy. Give them substantive job descriptions so they know what their responsibilities are and what authority they may exercise.

Prohibit civil servants who are on the public payroll from holding more than one position at a time. Prohibit officials from conducting private business during their assigned work hours. Control the use of government property, office space and vehicles, for private purposes.

Post notices in each government office informing the public of what the cost of each transaction is -- what procedures or documents are needed at each step and what the fee for each is. Prohibit the collection of unofficial fees.

Set monetary limits to what gifts can be given, received, or retained for personal use by officials. Draft conflict-of- interest guidelines: receiving kickbacks or commissions from contractors poses a conflict of interest; so does channeling business to family members or friends; making a policy decision in favor of a friend is a conflict of interest.

People who work for the government or, for that matter, any organization, should be clear about what "conflict of interest" means, and understand that they may not use their position to further their own interests to the detriment of the interests of the employing organization.

Finally, ensure adherence to standards through a fair discipline system. Standards mean nothing if there are no consequences for compliance and non-compliance. Managers who are reluctant to administer positive and negative consequences fairly, or who are unable to meet the standards themselves, should not be retained as managers.

Reform has a painful side. Inadequately paid civil servants count on supplementing their incomes by making the best of the extra opportunities that their jobs offer. Some have large debts to repay to those who gave them their positions; maybe the first reform should be an announcement from the President that any personal debt of a civil servant for the purchase of his/her job is immediately canceled.

The government would like to ease into reform, forcing no change until it is painless for affected persons. This is impossible, and the sooner the President's advisors accept this fact of life, the sooner the government will regain its reform momentum and credibility.

The government apparently believes it cannot undertake bureaucratic reform before economic recovery makes salary increases possible. This is the chicken-and-the-egg question. Is it money that makes reform possible; or will bureaucratic reform expedite economic recovery?

It is a delicate balancing act. It might be time for the President to reconsider his present point of balance. It is surely time for renewed faith that it is safe to move farther along the tightrope toward reform.

The writer, an attorney and former American diplomat at the U.S. Consulate General in Medan, is president director of PT Far Horizons management consultancy firm.