National or State Intelligence Agency?
It was only a small matter. And it did not affect people's right to life. Nor was there any connection with the decline in the national economy, or the vague rumors of a cabinet reshuffle. It was simply a case of explaining an acronym. BIN, which stands for State Intelligence Agency, was written as National Intelligence Agency.
But because the error was made by the National Secretariat, er State Secretariat, the problem is more complex. The invitations were not only mistyped: they were printed and sent out. This is why the issue appeared on social media. Those fond of criticizing and gossiping about the admianistration of President Joko Widodo were given ammunition to use against the palace, while those loyal to Jokowi claimed it was a hoax. According to these faithful supporters, the invitation was edited using Photoshop.
It was only a small matter. And it did not affect people's right to life. Nor was there any connection with the decline in the national economy, or the vague rumors of a cabinet reshuffle. It was simply a case of explaining an acronym. BIN, which stands for State Intelligence Agency, was written as National Intelligence Agency.
But because the error was made by the National Secretariat, er State Secretariat, the problem is more complex. The invitations were not only mistyped: they were printed and sent out. This is why the issue appeared on social media. Those fond of criticizing and gossiping about the admianistration of President Joko Widodo were given ammunition to use against the palace, while those loyal to Jokowi claimed it was a hoax. According to these faithful supporters, the invitation was edited using Photoshop.
A 'war' then broke out on Twitter between the 'detractors' and the 'supporters' of Jokowi. This 'war' suddenly stopped when an apology appeared on the official State Secretariat account explaining that invitations had been mistyped and sent out, but that they had since been recalled and replaced with new invitations. This tweet was based on an official explanation signed by Presidential Secretariat Deputy for Protocol, the Press and the Media, Djarot Sri Sulistyo.
Again, this is a small matter. But do not be too quick to forget it, because it also occurred in the office of the Ministry/State Secretariat, not in some district chief office. This trivial error in an important body could easily prompt suspicions that it was not a typing error, but a deliberate misspelling. What are the working procedures in the ministry? Was there no checking of such an important invitation? Or should Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso, who was appointed head of BIN, send intelligence officers to the palace to clarify matters?
Although it is not necessary to send intelligence officers to the palace, it is very important that the truth behind this be uncovered. It may be a small matter, but seeing as the error was made by a ministry that is at the forefront of the president's activities, it is highly embarrassing. And this was not the first such error.
A presidential decision was once mistyped, while President Jokowi was embarrassed when he read a speech stating that Sukarno was born in Blitar, when he was actually born in Surabaya. This was an elementary error.
Because these errors have happened repeatedly, we should ignore the apology from the State Secretariat. What needs to be done is for this case to be investigated thoroughly to determine who was wrong, and whether he or she should be punished. To use the legal terminology, there should be a deterrent effect.
Even though it is headed by a new minister, the State Secretariat is still run by the old bureaucracy. Regarding the careless invitations, officials may pretend to be stupid, or they may have been negligent. But senior staff are responsible for the errors of their subordinates. The minister/state secretary should overhaul the ramshackle bureaucracy. Those who resist should be fired.