TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives' (DPR) plan to disband the civil apparatus commission is impetuous and reckless. The commission, barely two years old, is tasked with safeguarding the merit system and keep watch on the conduct of state apparatus. It will be a huge setback to bureaucratic reform efforts if this idea becomes a reality.

The termination of the state apparatus commission is clearly stipulated in the draft amendment of Law No. 5/2014 on State Civil Apparatus. Legislators pushing to dissolve the commission argue that the institution impedes the appointment process of state officials and that the task of monitoring civil servants' behavior should be returned to the relevant ministries.

This is a rationale that is hard to swallow. The commission has the mandate to oversee each appointment phase of state officials, from forming a recruitment team to the final appointment, a move to ensure that each process is honest and transparent. If the commission is unable to carry out this duty effectively due to limited human resources, the solution is to seek ways to fix the problem, not dissolve it.

The existence of the commission is clearly warranted to improve the quality of our civil service. The positions, either at the central or in the regional level, are filled indiscriminately without taking into account the merits involved. The recent case of selling and buying positions in Klaten regency, Central Java, is a glaring example. Klaten regent Sri Hartini was nabbed by the anti-corruption agency for taking bribes from candidates vying for civil servant positions.

A dirty practice like this is prevalent in almost all the provinces. The commission estimates that almost 90 percent of the 21,000 heads of agency positions in all provinces and regencies in Indonesia are sold to highest bidders at an average price of Rp1 billion per position. Appointments of around 250 state civil servant positions in regions are also traded off for a tariff of tens of millions rupiah per position.

High political costs push many regional executives to resort to illicit means to recoup the 'capital' which they spent to be nominated, then for their campaigns. One way is by accepting bribes from candidates seeking positions in government. Graft opportunities also increased due to job scarcity following Government Regulation No.18/ 2016, which stipulates the streamlining of regional civil service units.

It's not just the practice of selling and buying jobs that has taken roots in state agencies, politicizing is also rampant. Here, the state civil apparatus commission plays a pivotal role in maintaining bureaucratic neutrality amid strong influence of political parties which control both at the central and regional governments. The DPR, in fact, should delegate more authority to the commission so that the latter can work more effectively. At this stage, the commission can only issue recommendations to regional executives to act against devious officials and report regional chiefs who fail to act on these recommendations, to the home affairs ministry.

Almost all developed countries have similar commissions in place to ensure civil servants' compliance to codes of ethics and neutrality. Their roles are vital as shown by UK's Civil Service Commission or Australia's Public Service Commission. The two institutions have authority to review the performance of state officials. The Australian commission even takes part in determining promotions for officials and has the authority to investigate violations involving civil servants.

Clearly, the DPR and the government should not rush to eliminate the commission. Putting the state apparatus in order would prove trickier without an institution to maintain the merit system and bureaucratic neutrality. (*)

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