The snare of bureaucracy

To the German sociologist Max Weber, bureaucracy is the best form of organization man is capable of creating. With its cold, rational, orderly and therefore controllable nature, the bureaucracy is a machine that can be relied upon.

Let us not forget, however, that Weber was talking about an ideal bureaucracy. In reality, what was created was a specter. When bureaucracy started to grow bigger and bigger it turned into an oversized, sluggish and inefficient entity. And when people began to realize how frightening this form of bureaucracy was, the tentacles of the bureaucratic octopus had reached everywhere. It became more and more uncontrollable and began to move following its own logic.

It is this kind of bureaucracy which has taken shape here. Therefore, it is certainly not surprising when Japanese investors complain that one of the constraints hampering their operations in Indonesia is the low efficiency of the bureaucracy. "Low efficiency" could be an euphemism for corrupt, inclined towards collusion, clumsy and sluggish.

We could perhaps console ourselves by saying that anywhere -- especially in Third World countries such as Indonesia -- that is the nature of bureaucracy. However, the fact that the Japanese investors are of the view that even within ASEAN our bureaucracy is the one that gives them the most trouble, is to us most embarrassing.

The root of all this evil is -- once more -- the fact that the bureaucracy is playing too big a role. Our bureaucracy has been given the opportunity to control everything. It is the bureaucracy which issues licenses. It is the bureaucracy which determines the life or death of businessmen. Thus, as Weber says, the bureaucracy in this form is like an iron cage which confines, incarcerates and ensnares everyone who is in it.

-- Republika, Jakarta