No autonomy without reform!

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.