On dual positions

On dual positions

From Media Indonesia

In her speech on the anniversary of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) in North Sumatra on March, 3,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri asked her followers, members of
PDI Perjuangan, whether they would agree if she relinquished her
post as the party chairwoman because of her presidential
position. The audience gave her a big "no". Had President
Megawati posed the question to all Indonesians, the answer would
perhaps have been "yes".

In our society, moreover during the New Order regime, dual
positions were common. There are certainly some advantages as
well as disadvantages of dual positions. Take, for example, a
researcher who holds functional and structural positions
concurrently in our work place. He/she will not carry out one of
their functions well. Additional duties will not bring about
optimum results. Worse still, if it is their structural position
that becomes their other post, other people and the institution
itself will be disadvantaged. A researcher obtaining the highest
appreciation in his functional post has shown that they have
failed in accomplishing the structural position they concurrently
hold. It's real and all of their subordinates are aware of this
situation. At the state level, this situation will be analogous
to prioritizing a political party's mandate over the peoples.

We therefore suggest that if a political party leader is still
needed by their party as a symbol of the party, they should just
be a non-active member so that they will not use state facilities
in the interests of their own party. Those concurrently holding
functional and structural posts in the government should leave
their functional positions. This distinction is necessary to be
carried out for the sake of good governance.

SUHEIMI NURUSMAN

Jakarta