JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Chairman of the Management Board of the Association of Indonesian City Governments (Apeksi) Bima Arya Sugiarto proposed that the position of the acting regional head be filled by the regional secretary (Sekda) in each region.
“I’m just submitting a recommendation from my friends, a lot of friends have asked that the regional secretary really count as a recommendation,” said Bima at the XYZ Forum event held by Kompas Daily, Tuesday (10/5/2022).
Bima reasoned that the regional secretary is the most senior and controlling official in the scope of regional government so that he has strong legitimacy.
In addition, according to Bima, a regional secretary has also been ‘trained’ to be neutral in practical politics.
Bima added, in addition to the regional secretary, there is also a suggestion that the mayor who is at the end of his term of office and cannot run again can be appointed as the acting regional head.
“It’s not that the mayor still wants a second term, but the regional head at the end of this can also be appointed as acting,” said the mayor of Bogor.
However, he admits, there needs to be a revised rule to take this option because the position of acting regional head is prepared for the state civil apparatus (ASN).
In addition, Bima also emphasized that there are three dimensions that must be considered in the appointment of officials, the first is the issue of legitimacy.
This is because many regional heads who only win narrowly in the regional elections and do not have strong support in the parliament have made their government programs not run effectively.
Furthermore, Bima also reminded that an official must have knowledge or understanding of regional government, including regional fiscal matters, governance, and other programs.
“Many of my friends are weak public figures here when elected as regional head or deputy regional head and it is not easy to learn quickly,” he said.
Third, an acting regional head must have political skills, namely to mobilize support, both formally from parliament and communication forums for regional leaders, as well as informally or through citizens.
According to Bima, an ASN may have knowledge aspects because of his experience in politics and government, but his legitimacy and political aspects have not been tested.
“If it was stated earlier that the stock of officials is sufficient, that’s a quantitative dimension, yes, if all stocks are sufficient, there are more than 200 million stocks for mayoral regents,” said Bima.
“But we’re talking at the capacity level, not just the quantity,” he added.
Source: Kompas.com