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