Try upset at bureaucracy supervision
Try upset at bureaucracy supervision
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Administrative Reform T.B. Silalahi conceded yesterday that supervision in the bureaucracy is slack and has not brought about the desired results.
"I'm not happy, and neither is the Vice President," he told a hearing with members of the House of Representatives Commission II on domestic affairs.
Government agencies have been reporting on courses to upgrade their supervision mechanism but it is distressing to learn that the lessons have not been put into practice, he said.
Supervision within the bureaucracy has been tightened since 1988 when the government introduced the term Pengawasan Melekat, or built-in supervision, with the Vice President being assigned as the coordinator.
The Vice President has also opened Post Office Box 5000 for the public to report on any form of corruption involving government officials.
Silalahi's statement came only a day after the Government Audit Agency (BPKP) chairman, Soedarjono, disclosed in a hearing in the House that US$873 million in state funds have not been unaccounted for over the past two years.
Silalahi, a former army major general, said internal supervision has been implemented best in the military, in which everyone is loyal to their superiors and dedicated to their jobs.
"In the civil service, it is par for the course to find supervisors turning up late for work. Many are still snoozing when their subordinates are already busy in the office," he said.
"But although supervision within the Armed Forces is good, we don't want to transplant it into the civil bureaucracy," he added.
Silalahi told journalists on a separate occasion that bureaucrats should strive to become role models to their subordinates in terms of upholding discipline.
"You cannot expect them to behave well if their supervisors don't set an example," he said.
Silalahi maintained that the "built-in" supervision system has not failed. The bureaucracy needs more time to implement it properly, he added.
In the meeting chaired by commission chief Hari Sabarno, several House members raised issues related to the poor services in government offices.
Silalahi conceded that "illegal levies" commonly imposed by officials on citizens seeking service, have become part of Indonesian culture.
"It is a common practice for someone to offer a gift to an official who has given a favor. There is a general feeling among bureaucrats that they have not been given due respect before they are offered a gift for their service," he said.
The minister also defended the government's policy of freezing the size of the civil service at its current size.
Commission members said the policy has hampered public services in many areas, especially in the provinces.
Silalahi claimed that the "zero growth" policy is needed to improve efficiency in the bureaucracy. He pointed out that since the scheme began several years ago, the government has saved up to Rp 170 billion a year.
He said offices in towns generally have more employees than they actually need and those in rural areas complain they do not have enough personnel to run the administration. (pan)