Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB) Rini Widyantini emphasized that civil servants must remain impartial and avoid supporting the agenda of any political party.

“Civil service governance and management adhere to the principle of neutrality, meaning that every ASN must not be influenced by or align with any [political] interest,” the minister said.

Rini also highlighted several areas where civil service neutrality was often compromised, beginning with the misuse of funds for campaign materials or "money politics".

The second area pertains to political projects inserted into regional budgets (APBD). The third area involved the mobilization of political support for campaign events, as well as the mobilization of votes from civil servants and the voting public, including neighborhood and village officials.

“There have been cases of intimidation and coercion involving civil service posts by regional leaders engaged in political competition,” the minister said.

Neutrality is among the civil service’s core values, named BerAKHLAK for Service-Oriented, Accountable, Competent, Harmonious, Loyal, Adaptive and Collaborative, which emphasizes loyalty to the country. While civil servants are prohibited from active involvement in practical politics, they still retain their political rights, which can be exercised only in the voting booth.

Civil service neutrality ensures that elections are free from undue influence as well as bolsters public trust in the democratic process.

“ASNs must ensure that public services remain impartial and government policies focus solely on the public’s interests,” Rini said.

This principle is grounded in regulations such as Law No. 20/2023 on Civil Servants and Law No. 10/2016 on the Election of Governors, Regents and Mayors.

Additional guidelines are outlined in the Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB) on Supervision and Enforcement of Civil Service Neutrality in Elections. Issued by the ministers of bureaucratic reforms and home affairs as well as the Head of the National Civil Service Agency (BKN), the Chairperson of the ASN Commission (KASN) and the Chairperson of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), this joint decree serves as a safeguard for civil servants.

“The SKB provides a clear framework for ASNs, helping them avoid potential violations,” said Rini, adding that the decree also served as a reference for public servants to explain situations that could lead to a breach of political neutrality.

Other regulatory frameworks include PAN-RB Circular No. 1/2023, which provides a guideline on the supervision of non-civil service government employees during elections and PAN-RB Circular No. 18/2023 on the neutrality of civil servants whose spouses are running for public office. Meanwhile, PAN-RB Circular No. 404/2024 pertains to the transfer of the supervisory function on civil service neutrality from the KASN to the BKN.

Minister Rini also reminded civil servants to be prudent when using social media platforms, particularly during the campaign period ahead of the election on Nov. 27.

“We urge ASNs to refrain from campaigning or engaging in political activities on social media, such as posting, commenting, sharing links or giving likes,” she said.

The efforts to strengthen civil service neutrality during the regional head elections, held simultaneously for the first time this year, involve collaboration between the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bawaslu and the BKN. Alleged breaches of civil service neutrality can be reported via the LAPOR! public service complaints platform or the hotline at +62-85830051948.

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