Building A Values-Driven Bureucracy for Effective MDGs 2015 Achievement

Anwar, Dadan Sidqul (2012) Building A Values-Driven Bureucracy for Effective MDGs 2015 Achievement. In: Seminar Nasional FISIP-UT 2012.

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Abstract

Many observers, academicians as well as donors and others believe that bureaucratic reform could become one of the highest leverage to restoring Indonesia into more developed country. Along with law enforcement, many believe that it will combat corruption as well. Such reform is implemented initially through bureaucratic reform in Ministry of Finance. It has been implemented in various aspects of bureaucracy including institution, business processes, and human resources especially high degree salary comparing to other institutions. It attracts many government institutions to do so. However, only some selected government institutions were approved to conduct such reform. In reality, however, even though the bureaucratic reform has been initiated and implemented in some government institutions, corruption and abusing the power still occur. The phenomena might have negative impact on Indonesian development including MDG’s 2015 achievement because the society may get loss opportunities from consuming resources. By using systems thinking approach it is found that one of the highest problematic leverage of Indonesian bureaucratic reform fallacy is too much emphasis on technical matters rather than values and ethics. Because of it, to some extent, the bureaucracy seems like physically beautiful but mentally ill. The spirit of fighting for societal welfare including MDG’s achievement tends to decrease. Instead, there are a lot of bureaucrats who are more self-interested rather than public or society-interested. In another word there is tendency that the bureaucracy has lost its soul. As, its result, it might make lot of people worse off and only some of them better off who has access to power and money. Such finding is beneficial to understand the fallacy of bureaucratic reform that technical matters is not enough in assuring better public services because it might be seen as still ‘value free’. Even the fundamental values might be undermined by the reforms. High degree of autonomy in public management, for example, might be beneficial for improving public services only if the officers’ effort is maximizing the autonomy for their public interest. On the contrary, it might be unbeneficial or even costly if the officers maximize it only for their own interest. Sometimes, civil servants also might be in ‘dilemma situation’. The civil servants might see the truth but the organizational environment might not allow them present it. Therefore values and ethics must come first. By doing so, it may have impact on improving welfare including MDG’s achievement through virtues cycle process. If bureaucracy realizes and puts values and ethics as its leverage there would be advocacy of values and ethics. The result of advocacy is values and ethics institutionalization. After values and ethics institutionalized, the bureaucracy may have a good conduct. A good-conduct bureaucracy might result in good resource allocation for the seek society interest and not individual, group or elite interest. The result of good resource allocation is indeed good resources that could be utilized or consumed by society. Good resources then may influence society welfare. Finally, it may satisfy society, so as the trust from society to government would increase. The vicious cycle is workable if the leader has strong commitment and leadership to do so. On local bureaucracy, the success story of Solo City supports such assertion. Through strong ethical leadership and bureaucracy, Solo City could improve its society welfare. It is believed that the success of some developed countries is based on their powerful values. In private arena, one of the highest leverage of Toyota is also its values of Toyota Way. In conclusion, in bureaucratic reform, values and ethics could become leverage in improving welfare not only in Indonesia but also in other developing countries. It needs to be put as the heart and source of energy for implementing bureaucratic reform in achieving society welfare and MDGs Agenda. It is also not only important agenda of bureaucracy but also universities, institutes of public administration field as well as practitioners, activists, consultants and observers in MDG’s field

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