Kuntoro Mangkusbroto: Former Chief, Presidential Monitoring Unit (UKP4)
The Process of de-Feudalizing the Bureaucracy is Very Slow

How do you see the state of the nation?

Let me start with an overview of the macro political development. The process of electing a president, the smooth transition, given that we introduced democracy just 15 years ago, has been unbelievable. That such a country like Indonesia with over 250 million people, an archipelago not a land mass, with such a diverse background and ethnicity, can actually do it. This is the result of patience, and maybe compromises in order to achieve this peaceful process. That's how I see things in general with regards to the development of the country as a whole.

Has there been progress in bureaucratic reform?

We need to be concerned about the progress (or lack) of good governance. I worry about the level of corruption in the regions and what is happening in the DPR (House of Representatives), where there is no shame about not just committing but defending corruption. Having said that, we are still in a state of transition which tends to enable transactional politics. Is it the political system that leads to corruption or the other way around? But the effect is on bureaucratic reform.

What do you mean?

December 23, 2014