PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM AS A STRATEGY

FOR REALIZING GOOD GOVERNANCE

Quality public services are very basic demands in a good governance system. The
question related to this problem is why public service reforms become a strategic issue to
build good governance, whereas in fact there are still many important aspects that need to be
considered in the implementation of good governance. The government faces issues that are
not less important in realizing good governance, such as the issue of nation character
building, critical oil problems, the problem of forestry (illegal logging) which is increasingly
difficult to overcome and the increasing theft of fish, illegal mining results mines like sand,
coal. This question needs to be answered so that we all understand why we choose to build
public services rather than those problems.

The strongest argument we have chosen to prioritize building public services is that it
is truly believed that conducive public services can lead and make the Indonesian nation
capable of realizing good governance in the life of society, nation and state. Another answer
is that because public service reforms have a wide-ranging impact on changes in bureaucratic
and society behavior. It is also hoped that through public service reform in order to create
public services that can become the locomotive of development towards good governance.

In this connection, there are several considerations as to why public services are the
focus in starting the implementation of good governance, especially in Indonesia. First; that
public services in Indonesia are still a crucial issue, where most people feel that public
services that have been implemented so far are still far from actual public services. Public
services are expensive, long time, convoluted processes, lack of accuracy, this is something
that is almost experienced in various kinds of public service activities in Indonesia. The
weakness of such public services has made the society reluctant, lazy and afraid to connect
with the bureaucracy.

Conducive public service practices can actually generate enthusiasm and public
participation to further improve the implementation of good governance. Conducive public
services should not only be myths, slogans and promises, but must be a reality in society and
state life.
 If at present the apathy and public pessimism towards the existence of bureaucracy as
a public service institution feels more widespread, mainly due to the long-standing
bureaucracy and continuing to practice bad governance, such as illegal levies that occur in
almost all bureaucracies, bureaucrat friendliness is still difficult to obtain, complicated
procedures -better and long time experience every day for those who are associated with
bureaucrats.

But it is very irony, the society is also forced to appreciate the practice of bad
governance, because it makes it easier for them to get public services. Even the public
considers that bad governance, especially illegal levies (extortion) is natural, does not become
a problem, it feels relieved that the service process can be completed soon. People are willing
to pay dearly, which is important when business is over.

Bad governance practices have spread to various levels of government. Bad

governance does not only occur in low echelons, but also in high echelons, not only in the
central government, but also in regional governments. Bad governance does not only occur in
executive institutions, but also occurs in legislative and judicial institutions. Bad governance
does not only occur in government institutions, but also in various State-Owned Enterprises
and Regional-Owned Enterprises.

Such is the breadth of institutions that practice bad governance and so many public
service activities that feel poor public service, so that various parties are still less optimistic
about the realization of good governance in Indonesia. Conceptually recognized and the
vision of good governance has been sufficient, but on a mission and implementation basis it
is still difficult to be realized. Such conditions make people more tolerant of bad governance,
so that what is expected in good governance is far from reality. Therefore, if we commit to
good governance, the bad habits that occur in the implementation of public services (bad
governance) should be eliminated, reduced, so that in turn we enjoy true good governance.
There must be a strong commitment that the values contained in good governance must be
manifested in the behavior of all parties, not only from the bureaucracy, but also from people
who have a habit of violating procedures, disliking entry, imposing will, looking for
shortcuts, do not feel uncomfortable with bad governance behavior.

The government system as a result of human civilization continues to experience

development and progress. One of the well-known and hopeful systems of the government in
the modern world is Good Governance.
 Good governance as a noble development of civilization in the field of government
systems, because the nature and purpose are in line with the demands of people's lives. The
government system with the paradigm of good governance is intended to further embrace the
involvement of all stakeholders in the administration of government. The governance system
of good governance provides space for the society to participate and participate in every stage
and administration activities. The existence of the society in administering a government
system of good governance is a representation that government organizations are owned by
and for the benefit of the society. The participation of all levels of society in administering
government is evidence of the recognition of the importance of society participation in
managing and realizing society goals.

In a good governance system, the society has a strategic role, because the society also
determines the direction, process and objectives of the government system. The society is no
longer a spectator, but has also become a central player in line with other institutions in the
good governance system. The governance system of good governance strongly emphasizes
openness, transparency, togetherness and equality between the government and the society.
Thus good governance is an explicit explanation of the implementation of the democratic
system of government.

In organizing a good governance system, the public is expected to appear as an actor

or actor who can encourage the creation of a government system that is in line with the
dynamics and demands of the society, namely quality public services or services that are in
accordance with the needs and interests of the society. A good governance system requires
public organizations to act as agent of changes, agent of innovation, and development agents
and leading institutions that serve various interests and meet society expectations.

Good governance is a governance system that is a big expectation of various layers of

society, because the government system that develops the paradigm of good governance is
expected to be able to create an efficient and effective government. UNDP (1994) explains
governance is defined as the exercise of political, economic, and emanative authority to
manage the nation's affair at all levels. Governance has legs; economic, political and
administrative.
 This view confirms that governance has three dimensions, namely the dimensions of
politics, economics and administrative dimensions, where the three dimensions influence the
making and implementation of government (state) policies. Therefore, a good governance
system of government includes the processes and structures of society that direct social
economic and political relations to create a better life.

In Indonesia, the reform of the government system and public services is

characterized by the birth of various provisions relating to the implementation of state /
regional government systems based on the good governance paradigm, namely a system of
government that is more transparent, fair, and accountable by promoting public services. The
aim of reforming the system of administering government bureaucracy is to strengthen and
empower society participation in various government activities, including in public policy
making. The basic idea of reforming the bureaucratic government system is the state as a
formal and constitutional legal institution that is in charge of administering the government,
both in its function as regulator and as agent of changes. Reforming the government system
requires the actual implementation of civil society, namely a system of government that
provides broad space for the society to take part in the administration of state / regional
government and the implementation of democratic governance systems that are at the core of
good governance.

A country with high heterogeneity conditions in various matters such as ethnicity,

culture, geography, religion, and the level of socio-economic development, is a considerable
potential as a source of conflict, and can lead to the disintegration of the nation. The potential
for conflict is even greater when the government develops a centralized system of
government, politics and economics, where decision-making is carried out centrally
(centralized) so that it often creates disappointment in regional communities. These
conditions further reinforce the proposition that the development of civil society with a
decentralized and democratic government system is a necessity. Civil society requires not
only maintaining the continuity of the social and political life of an independent and
democratic society, but also for the continuity of the government itself.
 In the context of the government system and the political system, the questions that
need to be answered are; what should be done to encourage the development of civil society
in Indonesia? What format of government system should be developed to be able to facilitate
the development of civil society? What kind of bureaucratic system is conducive to the
development of civil society? Civil society development requires a public sphere where every
citizen can freely and independently express his opinion on various social problems.
Communities should have sufficient space to exploit their potential in fulfilling their daily
needs, such as freedom to determine political direction / choice, legal fair treatment, cheap
education and health services, and other needs. The concept of civil society boils down to
three basic requirements in government, namely: 1) real competition and between individuals
and groups, there is no element of coercion, 2) political participation that involves as many
citizens as possible in public policy making, 3) political freedom in all social and state
processes.

The society needs to know whether the available budget has been used in accordance
with the expected performance. Are policies that have been implemented properly? This is all
only possible if the government develops information disclosure, and the occurrence of two-
way communication in the administration of government. Good governance requires the
government to hear public voices, may not pretend not to hear and not know the public voice.
In fact, it is highly demanded that the government immediately respond if there are demands
and desires of the people that are in line with the goals and objectives of administering
government and public services. Transparency is a pillar of public service reform.

In developed countries that develop democratic governance systems, the government

guarantees access for the public to know information about the dynamics of government
activities. The society has the right to know what happens in government organizations. The
society has the right to know the progress of activities that are being and will take place.

This is all intended so that in addition to the public being able to know about
government activities, also so that the society can provide input to the government if
necessary. The society is the user of the results of government work, therefore the society is
obliged to give advice and input to the government if they see that something is not in line
with the needs and demands of the society. Every government bureaucratic apparatus is
obliged to explain to the public about government activities both requested and not requested
by the society.
 But in many ways, the openness of the government system in Indonesia still has not
fully implemented the principles of openness of public service information. There are still
public organizations that only convey general matters such as policies and processes for the
implementation of operational policies that are technical in nature, but not open about
sensitive matters, such as financial information, both the source and its use.

The integrity of information and public communication, not only applies to people
outside the organization of public or society, but also often carried out against other members
of the organization within the organization, both officials in different fields and their own
staff.

Usually those who know the things related to the budget of a project for the public
interest are only certain people, such as leaders and staff who are hierarchically responsible
for the implementation of the project, while colleagues with different fields of work do not
get adequate information about it. Even though they are in the same institution, this condition
shows how low the quality of information transparency is still going on in various public
organizations. It has become a common tradition and view in various public organizations in
Indonesia, where information about matters related to organizing public services, especially
regarding sensitive matters such as the budget is still very difficult to obtain. Therefore,
transparency of public service information is still a challenge in realizing public service
delivery. In fact there is a tendency that information about sensitive matters to be luxurious
and rare items so that it cannot be consumed by the wider society.

Such closure of information on public services indicates that to implement good

governance through transparency of public services is still an obstacle and a challenge that
demands serious policies and political will if the government is consistent and commitment to
the implementation of good governance. Openness or transparency of information and the
implementation of public services are the main demands in the administration of government
which adheres to the principle of good governance, wherein disclosure of information is
required as one of the requirements for implementation of public accountability.

Transparency of public services, not only related to policy, but also concerning all
aspects of the implementation of public services, starting from the process of the emergence
of ideas, planning, implementation, control, and evaluation should be carried out
transparently.
 In doing all this, it should involve all stakeholders namely the society, the private
sector and the government together to think about and formulate all aspects related to the
ideas, ideas, implementation, and control of public services carried out by the government. In
reality, people often do not have sufficient access to get comprehensive information on
various matters relating to public services. Society members which lack comprehensive
information about the procedures and processes of public services that should be carried out.

In fact, most people do not know exactly what their rights and obligations are.
Communities tend to know more about their obligations than their rights, because public
organizations do prioritize information about people's obligations on public services provided
rather than their rights. So when dealing with public organizations (bureaucrats), people
follows whatever is recommended to be ordered by bureaucrats. This kind of service
condition is very contrary to the good governance paradigm that prioritizes openness or
transparency mechanisms, costs, place, time and service personnel as well as equality
between bureaucrats and citizens, as well as a balance between the rights and obligations of
citizens and the government (bureaucracy).

Long convoluted and complicated service processes and procedures naturally create a
large opportunity cost, long time management and laborious energy for users of public
services. Conditions like this encourage people to find easy ways and shortcuts to get around
how to receive fast public services, which do not waste much time and energy even with the
risk of higher costs. This kind of practice is very common and easily found in the process of
organizing publicly in several government agencies. Even this kind of issues tends to be
considered as a natural thing and benefits all parties, both recipients and public service
providers. This assumption arises because the users of public services have been too long and
often pays illegal fees, so that such behavior is considered normal and is no longer considered
as deviant and burdensome. Service users when they want to deal with the public bureaucracy
they know it and have prepared themselves to do so. Some do not think whether this behavior
is appropriate or not in accordance with applicable regulations. Even those who know also do
the same because they have understood that it is rare to take care of public services that do
not use additional costs beyond the applicable provisions. However, if this is allowed to take
place without any serious effort to carry out transparency and accountability in public
services, it is certainly very difficult to realize clean and good governance through
transparency of public services.
 So a government system with a good governance paradigm is intended to further
promote the involvement of all stakeholders in the government. In practical terms, the
challenge of a good governance paradigm will be faced with the demands of the society in
improving the quality of public services. Public service practices that are conducive to
stimulating real participation and the society to further enhance the implementation of good
governance. so many public service activities that feel a lack of good public services, so that
all parties are less optimistic about the realization of good governance in Indonesia.

A country with high heterogeneity conditions in various ways such as the level of
ethnic, cultural, geographical, religious, and socio-economic development, is a great potential
as a source of conflict, and can cause national disintegration. The development of civil
society requires public space (public space) where every citizen can freely and independently
express opinions about various social problems. Transparency of information and public
services is fundamental in the demands of a government that has the principle of good
governance, where information disclosure is needed as one of the requirements for
implementing public accountability.

The conclusion is that good governance is a new civilization that becomes a paradigm
of a government system that prioritizes quality public services, in which the bureaucracy is
demanded not only to act as administrator, (catalytic) communicator, but also as a public
servant who is expected to be able to create services oriented to customer satisfaction, namely
the bureaucracy that is able to provide satisfying public services to the society. One
dimension of quality public services that is the responsibility of the bureaucracy is
transparency in various aspects of public services. Quality public services are demands and
needs of the society that cannot be ignored by government organizations. This becomes
important to understand, because there are still bureaucrats who still do not really prioritize
such public services in carrying out government functions. Quality public services must meet
requirements such as tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, insurance, and empathy. So the
desired public service in good governance is public service that has certain standards, not
public services such as the past, namely slow, high-cost, convoluted, long-term public
services and characterized by corruption, collusion and nepotism.