Providing real services for the public

Piet Soeprijadi, Jakarta

Graeme Macmillan, in his article Improving performance through public service reform (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 23), outlined the need for public service reform and made suggestions on how to improve public sector management to lift Indonesia's economic, social and environmental performance.

The article touched the real needs of the public.

People want to get to work and go home on time, yet they have to struggle to reach and to board public buses. People want an affordable, quality education for their children, yet they to have to pay five times their salary to enroll their children into a substandard school.

Drivers want a police force that helps the flow of traffic, yet they have policemen who wait, hidden behind traffic lights, to catch them as they run through a red light so as to collect some pocket-money. When under great duress because of the critical condition of a family member, people just want to be received with kind and efficient attention by hospital staff, and instead, they are rejected and sent home because they cannot pay the outpatient fee.

Good businessmen want to do business properly, in accordance with laws and regulations, yet they have to go through a number of offices just to get a license, paying "fees" at every office. Good taxpayers want to pay their taxes properly, yet they have to deal with tax inspectors who come with very high penalties at the ready for "private negotiations".

The list is endless. This is not public service, in which the public is served -- instead, this is service by the public, in which the public serve the so-called public servants.

History shows that fulfilling the above basic needs is not at all simple. As Macmillan said, "The Public Service in Indonesia is too big, too slow and too dysfunctional."

On the other hand, the best way to solve a simple problem is to provide a simple solution.

The regents of Jembrana, Solok, Kebumen and Sidoarjo and the mayors of Ambon and Malang are good examples of real public servants, who have not only found simple solutions and implemented them, but also showed exemplary behavior in their work.

In Sidoarjo, the regental administration created an integrated public service office for the public to procure licenses according to a predetermined schedule, placing representatives of all relevant offices together to handle administrative details. In the case higher authorization is required, an internal courier -- not the applicant -- brings the document to the appropriate officials. This has speeded up the licensure process and has eliminated the opportunity for corruption.

In Kebumen, the recruitment of school principals has been restructured into a transparent procedure that involves the public. This solution has also eliminated corruption, while improving the odds of recruiting principals who serve the people.

However, these champions of public service reform are a minority and their success stories are not widely known. In this respect, the Jawa Pos Institute of Pro Autonomy -- which promotes the innovation and implementation of best practices through in- depth monitoring and competition between East Java regencies -- has made a solid effort as a social institution to encourage public service reform.

Installing real public servants -- or real leaders -- who do not stop at innovation but also lead by example, is another simple and effective solution that reaches the root of the problem. For example, Kebumen Regent Rustriningsih runs a daily, 30-minute radio talk show called Selamat Pagi Bupati (Good morning, Mrs. Regent), in which xhe responds directly to questions from the public and makes decisions to address their complaints.

This is an effective means to tackle the most difficult public service problem -- to change attitudes and mind-sets of the people to one of trust that the government listens to its people. The only way to achieve this is for the government to provide and lead by example, show commitment, listen to the people and fulfill its promises.

If a direct electoral system is applied to regional leaders and regents, mayors and governors like the Sidoarjo, Jembrana and Kebumen regents assume office, more than half of the country's public service problems will be solved satisfactorily.

If the initiatives of the Jawa Pos Institute for Pro Autonomy could be implemented on a national scale, public service reform would be accomplished at a more rapid pace.

Of course, these are not enough. Efforts by regional governments should be supported with sufficient resources and proper policies by the central government -- policies that are consistently applied, complementary and part of a comprehensive long-term strategy for public service reform.

What we need is a simple solution for this seemingly complex problem, along with examples of leadership. Only then, could we expect real public service, through which people receive real service.

The writer is Director of Administration for Partnership for Governance Reform in Jakarta.