Power concentrated in bureaucracy: Professor
Power concentrated in bureaucracy: Professor
JAKARTA (JP): Political power in Indonesia is too concentrated
in the hands of the bureaucracy and this has been one of the
sources of problems in the country, an economic professor said
yesterday.
Wan Usman of the University of Indonesia said the strength of
the bureaucracy is not matched by those of the political parties
who have the job of checking the power of the administration.
"The end result is that waste and collusion become
uncontrollable by outside powers," Usman said in a scientific
oration at the National Resilience Institute.
He said the bureaucracy has become very powerful in Indonesia
because it has been entrusted with the duty of planning and
carrying out the national development program.
"The role played by the military in development should be seen
as an extension of the bureaucratic hands in maintaining its
effectiveness," said the head of the university's post-graduate
study on national resilience.
"In the beginning, military intervention was accepted with
open arms because it helped to preserve a fragile balance, to
maintain national stability or counter external threats to
national security. But once the situation is safe then its role
must change accordingly," he said.
He added that although nobody questions the socio-political
role of the Indonesian Armed Forces, the concept is constantly
reviewed to ensure harmonious relations between the government,
the military and the people.
Wan Usman, who also lectures at the Open University, in his
paper identified a number of central issues in Indonesia's
development program. One of them is the political condition.
The oration was held in a ceremony to mark the National
Resilience Institute's 30th anniversary as well as the completion
of the renovation of the institute's headquarters.
The institute, a branch of the Ministry of Defense and
Security, is regarded as the military's think-tank, providing
suggestions and drafting concepts on strategic matters.
It also runs leadership courses for young and upcoming leaders
in the military as well as civilian organizations. Since its
establishment on May 20, 1965, the institute has produced more
than 7,000 graduates.
Wan Usman said that although the bureaucracy has succeeded in
ensuring national stability for a relatively long period of time,
history and the experiences of other countries show that
destruction becomes inevitable if the process of concentrated
political power continues unabated.
Any study on the political aspects of national resilience
should look at the trend of where the bureaucracy is heading,
whether it is becoming more democratic or authoritarian, he said.
He warned that the bureaucracy would reach a critical point if
it failed to maintain the momentum of development, to give more
autonomy to the regions, to carry out restructuring, and to stop
the corruption, waste and abuses of power.
"Failure to stop all four factors above would eventually bring
about the end of the New Order administration," he said.
The New Order is the term used to describe President
Soeharto's administration, while the Old Order is associated with
his predecessor Sukarno. (rms)