Non-ASN Employees Considered Meritorious, Ministry Of PAN-RB Formulates A Middle Ground For Their 'Fate'

Minister of PAN-RB Abdullah Azwar Anas at the National Working Meeting of the Association of Indonesian Provincial Governments (APPSI) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Friday (24/2/2023). ANTARA/HO-PR Ministry of PAN-RB

JAKARTA - The Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB) is formulating a middle ground to solve the problem of non-state civil servants (non-ASN) employees, as directed by President Joko Widodo.

"We are formulating it so that there is a middle ground option, how can public services continue to run optimally, but not add too much to the budget burden, and as much as possible there are no layoffs, because these non-ASN friends are meritorious," said PAN-RB Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas reported by ANTARA, Friday, February 14.

In front of the governors who attended the National Work Meeting of the Association of Indonesian Provincial Governments (APPSI) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Anas explained that non-ASN staff had made many contributions and contributed according to their role in community service and government administration.

On that basis, the government is trying to find the best solution for non-ASN workers, who now number up to 2.3 million, according to basic data from the National Civil Service Agency (BKN).

Of that number, 1.8 million of them have been completed with an absolute accountability letter from each staffing supervisor official.

Anas also assessed that there were several tasks that ASN could not do, but non-ASN workers could do.

"The facts on the ground, the role of non-ASN staff is very helpful in the delivery of public services. We don't deny that," he said.

Currently, Anas said the PAN-RB Ministry had coordinated and consulted with the DPR, DPD, APPSI, the Association of Indonesian Regency Governments (APKASI), the Association of Indonesian City Governments (APEKSI), and BKN regarding this matter.

He stressed that the management of non-ASN personnel could not be done by one agency. Anas has also opened spaces for dialogue with non-ASN staff forums. "We hear the voice of the region as one of the largest users of non-ASN workers," he said.

From the various analyzes that have been carried out, Anas said that there have been alternative arrangements for non-ASN personnel with various schemes which are now being discussed by the PAN-RB Ministry with stakeholders.

Even so, continued Anas, the alternative was not completely final. "We have analyzed all of these options, starting from strategic, financial to operational analysis and we will report this to the President," said Anas.