Tjahjo Kumolo Signs Circular On Downsizing Of The Bureaucracy

Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan RB) Tjahjo Kumolo (Mery Handayani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan RB) Tjahjo Kumolo has signed Circular (SE) Number 393 of 2019 concerning strategic and concrete steps to simplify the bureaucracy.

In this SE, it discusses nine strategic and concrete steps in simplifying the bureaucracy that will be carried out by the Ministry of Tourism of RB. Starting with identifying echelon III, IV, and V that can be simplified and mapping the positions in work units affected by the transition.

Tjahjo admitted that he was grateful because Commission II supported the priority scale and vision and mission of the president and vice president for 2019-2024 related to bureaucratic reform. He explained that this bureaucratic reform should not be interpreted as pruning.

"Echelonization downsizing is not pruning. But downsizing, which was carried out carefully, carefully, and carefully, which was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture RB, invited all the Secretary General of the Ministry and the agency secretaries to solve the problems of each institution and ministry," said Tjahjo, after a meeting with Commission II, at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, November 18.

Simplification of the bureaucracy is a mandate conveyed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during his inauguration on October 20, 2019. Structural positions will be simplified into 2 levels. The streamlining of the bureaucracy is intended to create a dynamic, agile and professional bureaucracy in an effort to increase effectiveness and efficiency in order to support government performance to the public.

"Because the aim of downsizing that is directed by the President is to be able to improve public services quickly. Second, it can give permission to investors, both central, regional and foreign. So that economic growth and development growth," he explained.

This downsizing is insignificant in numbers. Because, said Tjahjo, the goal is to accelerate services. This reduction also occurs not only at echelon III and IV levels but also at level I.

"With downsizing, don't think it continues to be depreciated. It's different. There is echelon I that is decreasing, there is echelon I being added. For what reason? The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs plus the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs plus investment. It is impossible to reduce it, plus the investment portion," he said.

Tjahjo revealed that the idea of streamlining the bureaucracy also targeted echelons from level I to IV emerged from the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN). "The BUMN Ministry has the idea to streamline it. So the downsizing is to accelerate services," he said.

The aim of the downsizing is for the convenience of licensing investors. As well as cutting down the complicated bureaucracy.

"Not only BUMN (the proposed downsizing), we will coordinate all our institutions. The objective of the Minister of Agriculture for the RB is to accelerate the process of the objective of this advanced Indonesian cabinet," he explained.

Realizing the possibility of turmoil in the regions related to downsizing the bureaucracy, said Tjahjo, his party had anticipated the possibility of this happening.

"Pak Deputy Irwan has sent a letter to the ministries of agencies and regions to see the potential and problems in what areas. Which ones are yes and which are not," he said.

"Each ministry has a different institution, if all regions have a sub-district head, village head, village head, and office head. This is carefully flexible but progressive in order to organize a bureaucracy that is said to be world-class in the future," he explained.