KASN: Camat Dan Lurah Rawan Politisasi Di Tahun Politik 2024

ILLUSTRATION OF DOK VOI

JAKARTA - Chairman of the State Civil Apparatus Commission (KASN) Agus Pramusinto said State Civil Apparatus (ASN) who served in the regional sector is prone to politicization in the 2024 political year.

"The presence of ASN, especially in regional elements such as the village head and sub-district head, has a special appeal in the eyes of prospective candidates or candidates for election and election participants," Agus said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 14.

Agus said that professionalism and politics in the bureaucracy are like two sides of the currency.

On the one hand, professionalism has become one of the principles in implementing the policies and management of the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) as stated in Law No. 5 of 2014 concerning ASN.

But on the other hand, the issue of political interests is an influential factor in the bureaucracy, especially ahead of the 2024 political year event.

The results of KASN supervision in the period 2020-2023 recorded that 2,034 reports against ASN with 1,596 ASN were proven to have violated.

Of these, 192 of them were violators from the sub-district and village heads, with the type of violation, namely holding activities that led to 36.5 percent alignment.

Followed by campaigns/socialization on social media such as posts/likes/comments as much as 20.1 percent, attending the declaration of candidates/candidates as much as 15.8 percent, photos with candidates/bakal candidates as much as 11.1 percent and becoming participants in the campaign 7.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Suhajar Diantoro said that in the face of the ASN elections, it could be divided into three groups.

The first group is adventurers who are looking for positions, the second group is those who are looking for opportunist luck and the third is a professional group.

"Those who are neutral are the group that has been the best in his career, he is not swayed by the existing political conditions," said Suhajar.

Suhajar also said that politicians should also be given an understanding not to politicize ASN.

"We must also involve political actors, both candidates and political parties, not to attract ASN, especially sub-district heads and village heads in the political circle, considering the large number of sub-district and village heads, namely 7,266 sub-districts and 8,506 villages," he said.

Similarly, Researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Siti Zuhro said that a better-growing democracy will produce reliable bureaucrats.

"Positive public policies and pro-people can only be run by professional, neutral and accountable bureaucracy," said Siti.

Siti Zuhro also said that in grounding bureaucratic neutrality, KASN's steps were very good. Not only with Bawaslu but also in collaboration with related ministries such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is the authority holder of the sub-district and village domains as well as the KemenpanRB.

Professor of the Institute of Domestic Administration (IPDN Sadu Wasistiono also said that bureaucratic neutrality is often hampered due to the desire of the ASN concerned to become the "Shadow Success Team" in the hope that if the supported party wins, his position will be promoted.

Sadu said that ASN like this are usually limited in competence, so it is covered with the power of existing local political lobbying.

He also said that the sub-district and village heads are not Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPD) that carry out certain government affairs such as the Office or Agency.

Camat dan lurah merupakan OPD yang bertanggung jawab terhadap sebuah wilayah kerja dan isinya, dan sangat dekat dengan masyarakat.

"The relationship between the regent or mayor and the sub-district head is very close, so filling the position of sub-district head is often more considered 'chemistry match' than competence," said Sadu.