What is public service?

To serve or be served, that is the question state employees and officials should be asking. The perennial question was raised once again by President Soeharto on Monday when he presented awards and trophies to various government agencies for their service to the public.

The President underlined the need for greater professionalism and a streamlined bureaucracy. But above all, he stressed the need for state officials to change their attitude, from one that desires to be served by the public to one that actually serves it. State officials, he said, should become trustworthy public servants.

It is hard to believe that our bureaucratic machine has barely changed since the Dutch colonial period. In those days, state employees were an extension of the Dutch monarchy. Their chief role was to exact dues from the local populace and to keep them under control. They were never meant to become civil servants in the real and modern sense of the term. By the very nature of their role they expected to be served by the public.

While such an attitude was acceptable under a monarchy, it clearly is not in a republic. After 51 years of independence, this attitude not only remains but appears to have become more entrenched.

Under the New Order administration the four-million strong civil service has become a powerful political entity, especially following the alliance of Korpri (the association of state employees) and Golkar, the ruling political group. Such a political alliance perpetuates the perception that state officials are part of the ruling elite.

In common Indonesian usage the equivalent of "civil service" (pelayanan sipil) is not recognized and thus the term "public servants" (pelayan masyarakat) is rarely heard. The word pelayan is considered derogatory and is reserved for restaurant waiters or domestic helpers. Instead, government workers are referred to as pegawai negeri (state employees) or pejabat negeri (state officials).

Even the public has come to believe that state officials should be served. Bribery or some kind of payment has become the norm in everyday administrative dealings, from obtaining an identity card to the larger undertaking of securing a business permit. Don't ever expect to get anything done without paying these dues, some of them official but most of them not. Recent allegations by foreign research agencies that Indonesia is one of the most corrupt countries in the world are not far off the mark.

The present condition can no longer be maintained, certainly not in an era of globalization and increasing competition. The business community has been grumbling that illegal levies are undermining their competitiveness abroad and at home. And because of their growing political clout, businesses are finally being listened to. The government has promised to do something, and hopefully it will also look at the levies imposed on common people if it decides to take action.

As President Soeharto said in his speech, our administrative system and procedures must be improved, but it is the mentality that needs changing the most.

Adopting a different attitude will take time, especially since it has become ingrained in society. But we need to start somewhere. Referring to our public employees as pelayan masyarakat (public servants) would probably make a good start.