Sunday, 11 November 2012

PERFORMANCE GAP APPARENT BETWEEN PUBLIC SERVANTS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE


Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia (ORI) saw there was a performance gap between Government officials especially those related to public service and the business circles which had its negative impact on national economic development. To illustrate: if the speed and performance of the private sector had reached 100 percent, the speed of public servants was only half of it. i.e. 50 percent. This was a great challenge to state officials in the effort to step of reformation of the bureaucracy. “Businessmen clearly believe that time is money while public servants were often trapped in bureaucracy, in addition to the typical unresponsive attitude service problem” member of ORI Kartini Istiqomah told Business News sometime ago.

Due to the performance gap between the private sector and public servants, many business people choosed to take a shortcut to pay bribery; because the philosophy of time is money, businesspeople saw it that the money spent on bribery was worth all the expectations of good service. “Many businesspeople, even people of the lower-middle class when they apply for Identity Card (KTP), birth certificate, marriage certificate etc choosed to pay lubrication money at the service counters. That was what happened in the cas of bribery by Siti Hartati Budaya a reputable businesswoman and public figure who, in order to get quick service in permit application had to bribe the Regent of Buol in Central Sulawesi” Kartini was quoted as saying.

ORI saw that businesspeople and the private sector were not receptive to the slow service of public servants which caused lateness. Meanwhile businesspeople of big companies had systematic planning to develop their business. “I am not defending SHM, but she was not bribing because she did not use Government’s money. She was simply impatient with permit application procedures by Government officials, the Regent made things difficult and SHM was impatient. She could not stand to see slow serving officials and so she paid, but it’s not bribery” Kartini remarked.

Beside being slow in serving the businessworld, public servants were insensitive to the philosophy of public service itself; as known public complaints addressed to PRI was still around application for ID card, civil registrations etc. and apparently the lower middle class people were reluctant to apply for ID (KTP) etc. In some cases people come to apply when the deadline was over. When it was late, the process got even more difficult because they had to apply for the court. “When it’s too late, the procedure gets even more complicated”. Kartini said.

ORI saw the positive side of mass-marriage ceremony. The mass-marriage process would enable pairs to directly apply for marriage certificates to the Civil Service Dept in every province. If people were getting less aware of the importance of Civil Registration, they might tend to break public norms such as pre-marriage sex. “They have difficulty in applying for marriage certificates so the Government could not simply blame them as being moral breakers. Even if they were willing to apply, the price is high and they choose to go by their own way, to live together illegally” Kartini remarked.

Meanwhile Executive Director of NGO partnership Wicaksono Saraso pointed out that most of the Indonesian people were still paternalistic. Meaning, exemplary act was still important, so leaders in Government institutions were expected to set an example, whereby there would be tricke-down effect from the leader downward; thereby bureaucracy could be more slim and reduce practices of bribery or corruption. High officials of ministries, the police or the state, i.e. president if they set a good example it would motivate the people to follow the could be better especially in terms of public service, but it’s still a long journey”. Wicaksono disclosed to Business News sometime ago.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Empowerment of State’s Apparatus and Bureaucracy Reformation (PAN RB) saw that grand design and roadmap of reformation could still serve as guideline. The Independent Team of the Supervising Committee was striving to apply a more effective control system. The Ministry of PAN RB was highly expectant there would be lesson learned so the conference help a few days ago could give sound input for the acceleration of bureaucratic reformation (RB) process.

The conference involved the bureaucracy, academicians and condoler apparatus, the Government and students. “We agree to the idea that public service might speed up the process of national economic development” Gatot Sugiharto, Head of the Bureau of Law and Public Service Dept Ministry of PAN RB disclosed to Business News sometime ago. 

 Business News - September 5, 2012    

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