Bureaucrats Watchdog Commission Still Needed

THE House of Representatives' (DPR) plan to disband the civil apparatus commission is impetuous and reckless. The commission, barely two years old, is tasked with safeguarding the merit system and keep watch on the conduct of state apparatus. It will be a huge setback to bureaucratic reform efforts if this idea becomes a reality.

The termination of the state apparatus commission is clearly stipulated in the draft amendment of Law No. 5/2014 on State Civil Apparatus. Legislators pushing to dissolve the commission argue that the institution impedes the appointment process of state officials and that the task of monitoring civil servants' behavior should be returned to the relevant ministries.