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Public policymaking needs full-time experts
Many public policies in Indonesia often create controversy. For instance, early this year a new instruction on playing the national anthem before movie screenings was revoked by the Youth and Sports Ministry just two days after it was issued due to strong public resistance. #opinion
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Personnel of Bogor regency public order agency (Satpol PP) smashes a wall in Kemang district, Bogor regency, West Java on Thursday, May 2, 2019. The building is part of 22 buildings used to house local karaoke bars demolished by the administration for public order ahead of Ramadan. (JP/Theresia Sufa)
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any public policies in Indonesia often create controversy. For instance, early this year a new instruction on playing the national anthem before movie screenings was revoked by the Youth and Sports Ministry just two days after it was issued due to strong public resistance.
In September 2016, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ordered the revocation of 3,000 problematic local regulations in a move that could reduce the inefficient use of the state budget. Businesspeople often say there are major barriers to doing business here, with each local government and government body seemingly possessing their own agenda and different, complicated and often overlapping policies, causing time-consuming and expensive arrangements for business.
Moreover, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has urged a review of all the ministry’s regulations and policies by involving academia and other experts, insisting on prior rigorous research.
A working paper reported by The Policy Lab at the University of Melbourne in Australia and the Indonesian Center for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK) last year indicated that policymaking in Indonesia was not strongly based on rational problem-solving.
One cause was found to be the limited opportunities for public and expert engagement in formal policy processes for addressing gender equality and social inclusion issues. For instance, the latest Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data indicate that only 24 percent of disabled individuals gained jobs, compared to almost 43 percent of those without disabilities.
A lack of understanding, interest and sensitivity and stigma against individuals with disabilities apparently remains among decision-makers. Affirmative policies for such marginalized groups could be in the form of tax incentives for companies that recruit people with disabilities.
However, many public officials still fail to consider that research could help the institutions design policies and regulations. Many still feel comfortable with their “business as usual” approaches and fail to link the needs of evidence-based policies (using research) and policymaking processes.
