Sunday, 3 June 2012

ENHANCING AUTONOMY EXECUTOR


          The implementation of regional autonomy for 12 years still leaves problems. Any of the problems is overlapping policy and authority between the central and regional governments. Vice President Boediono disclosed it upon inaugurating the Celebration of the XVI Regional Autonomy Day in Jakarta on April 25. In relations thereto, the overlapping policy must be settled soon to eliminate gray area in the implementation of regional autonomy, said Boediono.

            Surely the opinion of the vice president is true but the most serious issue haunting the implementation of autonomy actually resides in the executor of autonomy. It’s not wonder if the idea to take back part of the autonomy already delegated to regions comes to surface. In this context, legislators suggest the recruitment of civil servant candidates (CPNS) to be centralized like the recommendation, namely rampant violation related to recruitment of CPNS and distribution of civil servant (PNS) in regions.

            Apparently, the recommendation is something serious. For the purpose, the ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives (DPR) suggest the centralization in the recruitment of CPNS is accommodated in deliberation about bill on civil state apparatuses in deliberation about bill on civil state apparatuses (RUU ASN) so that the recruitment of CPNS is not executed individually by regions but the central government by an open and transparent system. The recommendation gains response from the government in this case Vice State Minister for the Enhancement of State Apparatuses and Bureaucratic Reforms Eko Prosodjo. The vice minister argued that it’s difficult to apply centralization in the recruitment of CPNS because it would contravene the existing regulation. To the best of our beliefs, the regulation stipulates that the authorized to recruit CPNS is divided into two kinds, wherein the central government stipulates technical regulation and law, while the recruitment is managed by regional government under supervision of the central government (www.seputar-indonesia.com, 22/2/2012).

            We refrain ourselves from getting trap into debate whether the recruitment is returned to a centralized system or continues the current decentralized system with all risks potential to follow. If we observe thoroughly, the idea to return to the centralized system is actually not attributable to the existing rule, but lack of transparency and honesty in the recruitment of CPNS by regional governments. Therefore, the same issue would come as long as bureaucracy has not been managed by honesty and transparency principles, regardless of the system, whether centralization or decentralization.

            The implementation of administration is not only a matter of administration. Autonomy is not a matter of regulation either. More than it, autonomy is related to executive element as operator. The executor means executive apparatus implementing the existing rule. Regardless of the rule, the outcome would be bad if the executive is bad. It’s a problem we are encountering. We have witnesses that government without honesty results in corruption and administration loosing spirit of dedication to the people. Related to honesty, we want to assert than this nation almost looses honest characteristic and honesty in all kinds of public service. It’s a condition in the management of public administration. Let allow us to borrow perspective of Helen Fein, a historical sociologist, saying that honesty actually constitutes “universe of obligation” which must be enforced by civilized nations. As universe of obligation, honesty and honest character must be enforced in whatever condition and to whomever.

            Therefore, decentralization/regional autonomy is impossible to bring about the expected result if the executor is unable to enforce honesty and transparency.

New Business, April 27, 2012   

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