New strategies boost public services

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 06/28/2008 11:54 AM  |  National

Public services are improving and the bureaucracy is becoming more streamlined, thanks to the implementation of various innovations, State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi said here Friday.

At the public service innovation fair, officially opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Taufik said the improvements were evident in public offices in almost 70 percent of the country's 457 regencies and municipalities.

"The number of regencies applying the one-stop system for various public services has increased significantly every year," he said.

"In 2005, only six regencies had put the system into practice. The number increased to 95 in 2006 and to 295 last year. By mid this year, we have 315 regencies using the system," he said.

Taufik said the state ministry had worked together with public offices nationwide and had adopted various strategies to shift the mind-set of public officers from being an "authority" to being "servants".

"Our strategies work. We have seen many innovations and improvements in the quality of public services," he said.

During the event, the minister's book Jangan Percaya Sebelum Melihat (Don't Believe It Till You've Seen It Yourself) was launched. The book features pictures showing bureaucratic innovations across the country.

Yudhoyono said he was proud of the innovations and renewed his calls to civil servants to continuously improve their performance.

Commenting on the new book, the President said people should not criticize public services before finding out for themselves what significant improvements had been made.

"Bureaucratic reform is part of our commitment to good governance. This has been a top priority on the government's agenda," he said.

"With a clean and transparent government, we will be able to eradicate corruption and improve people's welfare."

At the event, the first lady, Ani Yudhoyono, presented awards to 10 individuals for their dedication in providing services to the public.

Among the award recipients were Abdul Cholil, who suffered burns while on duty as a firefighter at the East Jakarta fire department, and police officer Brig. Asep Wahyudi, a victim of the 2004 bombing at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

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