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Govt's 100 day programs `unassessable': Observers
Two days before the administration marks its 100th day in office, observers said they found difficulties assessing the performance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second Cabinet
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wo days before the administration marks its 100th day in office, observers said they found difficulties assessing the performance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second Cabinet.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political observer Siti Zuhro said the programs the government had initiated lacked indicators that could be used as yardsticks to measure success.
"We can't possibly achieve so many things in 100 days, but at least the government could have built strong foundations for each state department," Siti told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
"The indicators should be clear in order to determine whether the government has had success with its programs," she added.
Siti said the targets set out for most departments in the first 100-day programs were vague, with the exception of only a few ministries, including the Home Ministry. But even that ministry, she continued, "seems to fail to meet their important target of planning a grand design for regional autonomy and the formation of new regions."
Meanwhile, Ganjar Pranowo from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) called the programs ineffective.
Ganjar, a member of the House of Representatives' Home Affairs Commission, criticized the government for not consulting the House on its first 100-day programs.
"They chose the programs and the targets unilaterally, and then evaluated the implementation by themselves as well. They never discussed them with the House," he said.
He added it was difficult to determine the success of the government's programs as they seemed to aim at the wrong target.
"I see no urgency in implementing the 15 so-called priority programs," he said. "The government should have set out programs that would directly benefit the people, such as ensuring primary school tuition across the country was free and that all children should receive an education."
Last November, the President announced 45 programs for the first 100 days of his new administration, highlighting 15 as his priorities.
His first priority program, he said, was to eradicate widespread corruption in the judiciary, a problem that has long undermined the country's development. To achieve this goal, he set up a special task force to combat the "court mafia".
The President also focused on revitalizing the domestic defense industry, improving electricity supply, ensuring food resilience, supporting fertilizer and sugar industries, developing infrastructure, boosting credit for SMEs, promoting preventive measures in the healthcare sector, and bridging the gap between the competency of school graduates and labor market demands.
Emphasis for the priority programs was placed on setting out plans instead of implementing real action, critics said.
Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa claimed last week the government's economic team had completed 92.16 percent of its 100-day programs.
"The programs will be fully completed. We're adding the finishing touches," he was quoted as saying by Bisnis Indonesia daily.
Chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association, Erwin Aksa, however, criticized the economic programs, saying they failed to address "substantial matters", such as infrastructure development and bureaucratic reform.
