Public Administration News
Share
 |
Indonesia: The Public Sector Needs to Step it Up |
| Source: |
thejakartaglobe.com |
| Source Date: |
Monday, August 08, 2011 |
| Focus: |
ICT for MDGs
|
| Country: |
Indonesia |
| Created: |
Aug 08, 2011 |
|
From the legislature to the police to the judiciary, Indonesia’s public
institutions do not enjoy high levels of confidence. Indeed there is a
great degree of public distrust of these institutions due to years of
poor service and lack of transparency.
In recent years, the
state and the government have taken steps to improve public trust and
confidence in these bodies. No state can hope to be strong and
independent if these institutions do not fulfill their roles and serve
the nation.
Our hard-won democracy and robust economic growth
will also diminish in the future if state institutions do not step up
and raise their game. Judging by the latest Indonesian Survey Circle
(LSI) survey, even the country’s most respected institution, the
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is falling in the eyes of the
public.
The survey showed that only 41.6 percent of 1,200
respondents believed that the KPK is truly independent. A similar poll
conducted in 2005 showed that almost 60 percent of those surveyed
believed the KPK was free of undue influence.
Public confidence
in public institutions needs to be built by delivering services,
reducing wastage and being transparent. If the legislature fails to pass
laws that benefit society as a whole but demands excessive funds, it
cannot help to win public favor. If the police allow white-collar
criminals to flee the country at will, the institution cannot convince
the people that it is up to the task of upholding the law.
One
of the best ways public institutions can regain public confidence is to
ensure that they do not misuse and abuse public funds. Every rupiah
spent should be accounted for and should be used in the delivery of
public goods and services. This is one area where both the government
and the state have been less than efficient or transparent.
It
is never too late to reform public institutions. The hard-won freedoms
after the political crisis in 1998 have ensured that there is now more
scrutiny of public institutions and public servants. But the real change
can only come from within these institutions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Tag This |
Indonesia: The Public Sector Needs to Step it Up From the legislature to the police to the judiciary Indonesia’s public institutions do not enjoy high levels of confidence Indeed there is a great degree of public distrust of these institutions due to years of poor service and lack of transparency
 Tell A Friend |
|
 del.icio.us digg this Slashdot |
| Rate: |
0 ratings
|
Views: |
152 |
| Comments: |
0 |
Favorited: |
0 |
Bookmarked: |
0 |
Tagged: |
0 |
|
|
|
|