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An Ultimate Secret to Implement Good Governance in Public Sector
Awarded fromTrisakti International Conference on Governance

By: Wilson Arafat & Eko Waluyo

GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM is not only a barometer of public satisfaction. More, it is also a diagnostic tool that enables public service officer to understand, compare, improve, and supervise the better public service that lead to better governance management system (adopted and or explore by Wilson Arafat & Eko Waluyo from Gan Kim Yong, 2008)

I. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Good Public Governance is a Must

Good Public Governance is “a must” and should there is no bargain on it; otherwise the nation will be thrown away in to worst and worst condition. The second multidimensional crises are waiting for us, why? Just because of mismanagement and bad governance practice we do. At the end of the day, commitment to clean and democratic public governance will never come true. Vision and shared values that drive relationship and synergy among government, business entity, and public society will become a never ending dream or “utopia”. Vice versa, - according to Bappenas (2007) – domination on power and authority at a certain party over others will lead to a loose supervisory system. Corruption, collusion, nepotism (CCN) and poor performance of government officer and public service are inevitably and continuously happen. HAR Tilaar (1997) clearly described that without Good Public Governance; there will be 14 negative things to happen if government doesn’t put in place 14 principles of Good Public Government, as shown on the diagram 1 below.

1.2 Shifting paradigm

It is not as easy as turning our hand to implement Good Public Governance, since the coverage of Good Public Government is now broader and more complexs, and even stimulate wrong paradigm on it.  Let’s take an example on accountability principle. Based on Breakthrough Urban Initiatives for Local Development (BUILD) survey (2003), there is a conclusion that government executives are tend to less care and neglect the public interest as a stakeholder. To do so, there is a phenomenon indicated that public service is a public need, and not a public right. Public has to take and satisfied to what ever service render by government officer. Public service is done at a minimum service level or even depends on the willingness of the government officer. There is no standard on public service, or government only serves the minimum service with no complaint being accommodated in case government doesn’t fulfill the standard.

The old paradigm on Good Public Government has to be corrected. Now or never !!!.  Many effort has to be taken that public–as shareholder- can exercise their right on public service such as; propose an input for better service, right to be informed, right to make a complaint, and right to asses the performance of public service could be fulfilled soon.  On the other hand, public service officer has to guarantee that all things are done. Public service officer has to inform, receive input, taking care of any complaint, and open opportunity for public to participate and supervise the public service performance.

II. TAKING GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNMENT IN TO A DOWN TO EARTH ACTION

So, what else should be done in this republic? Benchmarking to other countries is one of important action to do. How ever, before going in to depth and far discussion, we will describe a few main concepts on Good Public Government implementation in order to understand the problem clearly.

2.1 Conceptual Review

According to Bappenas (2007), the main and necessary step to be taken to implement Good Public Governance is bureaucracy reform, as simplify in the figure 1.  Basically, effort to implement Good Public Governance can only be done successfully when there is a balance among the three pillars of Good Public Governance; they are government, business sector, and public society (see figure 2).  Each party has their own roles. Government (executives, legislatives, and judicative) play a particular role to create a condusive political and legal environment for all parties within the government.

Private business sector play a very important role to create job opportunity and income for public. In the mean time, public creates interaction among social, political, and economy as well. All those three components should play their own role according to values and principles of Good Public Governance.

Thus, implementation of Good Public Governance is not a separated / apart from government management system implementation which is a series of management function implementation (planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling) that need to be carried on consistently and professionally. Implementation of such management system must contribute to positive relationship among government, private business sector, and public society so government can deliver a sustainable public service.

2.2 Benchmarking

What is benchmarking look like? Better we learn to other countries. One of many effective and successful strategies taken is called Public Satisfaction Index Measurement Program. Singapore is one of the country who consistently implement Public Satisfaction Index Measurement Program done by The Institute of Service Excellence (Ises) and Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) In every year. AT the same time, Philippine are also doing the same thing as Singapore, called “Good Governance for Local Development (GOFORDEV) Index”. Canada and Australia are also doing “ Assement of Public Services Satisfaction” on routine basis. Even, other developed countries such as United States of America has also implemented measurement program by using advanced technology called “Citizen Satisfaction with E-Government” done by American Customer Satisfaction Index  (ACSI).

Such developed countries have tasted and proof how effective the Public Satisfaction Index Measurement Program to support Good Public Governance, why? Through the Public Satisfaction Index Measurement Program, government, either legislative, executives, and judicative are able to build a conducive political, legal, and business environment that lead to produce job opportunity and income. Meanwhile, public society can exercise their right and obligation effectively and efficiently. More over, public society may enjoy their right to give input, have information, complaint, and participate to asses the public service performance entirely.  Wilson Arafat (2008) mentioned that Public Satisfaction may put in place of truly paradigm on governance. Society rights and government institution obligation as mandate receiver from public can be executed in harmony and create synergy. So, internal accountability = balance = external accountability.

Let’s go and visit Singapore. In this lion head country, we will find measurement index that clearly include several measurement from business sector and society’s angel, as well as tourism aspect in to 7 keys economy sector. What is the result? Based on recent data (year 2008), customer satisfaction in Singapore succeed to get “excellent” predicate with total score 68.7 out of 100 on average of national satisfaction from all countries over the world.  Such measurement score is used by the institution being measured as a feedback to improve and enhance their performance in the future.

For institution who succeed to get a perfect index, it used as a trigger to maintain their performance. Look at Singapore Airline (SIA). The result of measurement index indicates that public is satisfied. While say thank you to the customer, SIA spokesperson describe to TODAY newspaper that their employee should maintain customer’s satisfaction.  Appreciation its self may contribute high score for Public Satisfaction Index Measurement Program (Alicia Wong, 2008). On the other side, any institutions that don’t succeed to achieve highest index, may inspect their own self and prepare for the improvement.

Institution that doesn’t succeed to achieve high score and take position in the last rank should review and improve their weakness. Singapore Healthcare Company, the National Healthcare Group and SingHealth are example of the unsuccessful company. Both companies only get score of 60.50 and 64.70 respectively in policlinic category. Such companies are experiencing problem on queuing that patient has to spend a very long time for waiting. This problem stimulates customer disappointment. Another example is public bus Transportation Company that gets score of 64.30. The management spontaneously reacts when they know that the company gets a very bad score. “We are very disappointed with this result. It indicates that we don’t deliver excellent service. It will encourage us to serve better, they said.” Communication sector is another example of institution that gets very low score. Ises Caroline Lim as a director mention that they must do something better. Lim is trying to look at South Korea and United Stated of America experiences where they succeed to get score 72 and 75 respectively by using the same model. In fact when this model was released for the first time in 1998, South Korea is only get 58.80. However, South Korea government put serious attention on what they have got. They move forward rapidly, Lim mention that Singapore will do the same action.

It is easy to be understood when Gan Kim Young – Singapore labor minister- state that skill to produce excellent service will be the most valuable asset and competitive advantages for Singapore where public satisfaction measurement index being executed and considered very important there.  Index measurement program is not only customer satisfaction indicator, but also tool for organization to understand, compare, improve, and monitor the better public service in the future. Based on the above logic, it is more than enough to conclude that GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM is not only a matter of reference for customer satisfaction, but also tool for government officer to diagnose, understand, compare, and improve the public service that lead to better Good Pubic Governance implementaion.

III. ANALISYS AND RECOMMENDATION

Hallo Indonesia? It’s show time!!!, “DEVELOPING A POWERFUL GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM”. No doubt any more. “It is an ultimate secret to taking Good Public Governance down to earth for public sector, that enable to deliver excellent service to public” similar to the developed countries. One thing for sure, that this program shall be carried on   properly by using effective methodology and integrated program.

It’s true that measurement indexs is not totally new thing in Indonesia. Bogor regional authority had implemented “Public Satisfaction Index”, and also South Sulawesi province. Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum (healthy water company) of Solok Regency, Puskesmas (healthcare center) in Yogyakarta, and also military environment had done those things. Just because of this is a separated program rather than national and integrated program, it did not reach the maximum result. DEVELOPING A POWERFUL GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM should be done through following steps:

1)    Legalize the Good Public Governance: It can be done through promoting national or regional law on Good Public Governance system and /or public service. Such law must contain main regulation on government officer obligation to do several things below:

a) Good Public Governance Principles, at least consist of 14 (fourteen) values (HAR Tilaar, 1997). We summarized the Bappenas (2007)   description on the 14 (fourteen) Good Public Governance principles as illustrated on table 1 below:

More specific, such law must also cover obligation of public service officer to inform the public about their commitment on service level and responsibility to public on mechanism to deliver the service, mechanism on complaint, and punishment. Then, based on such condition need to be defined who is the intermediaries to solve any conflict happened. Clearly, this regulation must legalize several things below:

• Society right: Basic element of the regulation should adopt society rights that currently being neglected. As a shareholder, public have inherent right  to give input, being informed, right to complaint, and rights to exercise the performance of public service.
• Obligation of public service officer: Officer is not only obliged to admit the public rights, but also obliged to guarantee its execution. Thus, public service officer as a mandate receiver from the society must inform, accept input, accept and settle down complaint, prepare opportunity to society to exercise and monitor.
• Public service accountability mechanism: Such obligations need to be regulated in particular mechanism that accommodates officer to formulate (together with public) the performance of targeted service.  Public accountability mechanism at least covers: (a) Planning and report performance of public service every year; (b) Do exercise and measurement of performance and report the result to public at the end of the year.; (c) Measure the public satisfaction; (d) Response to public comment; (e) Develop new action plan as a new commitment.  It is also need to prepare complaint mechanism when officer is not able to fulfill the public accountability or serve the public according to the commitment.
• Punishment: Any regulation will not be effective if there is punishment. Thus, it needs to regulate clear punishment when there is law violation. It is important to anticipate any doubt that regulation on public accountability system do not clearly guarantee person who implement or not implement such principles. Punishment must be regulated in a manner that educates the public.

Step to legalize Good Public Governance system is very important and it will encourage officer to do their job well. On the other hand, from the officer point of view, they will have a clear and sound regulation on how should they deliver the service. It is also beneficial for officer to set up the way the response the public need. It will also help officer to formulate any activities in order to enhance the public service. Both parties have join need on public service accountability regulation, and it cloud not be separated from public monitoring because it is complete each other.

2)    Design and implement an integrated and periodic national program on Good Public Governance and Public satisfaction index measurement: Having legalized Good Public Governance system (under law and regulation), the next step is design and then implement integrated national program of Good Public Governance and public satisfaction index measurement, through following step:

• All public service institution must do Self Assessment on Good Public Governance implementation. Result of the self assessment is then reported to the appointed institution (lets say Institution X) periodically. It is intended to help public service institution to know how good they implement Good Public Governance principle, identify weak areas and improve such weakness in order to build awareness from those institutions toward the Good Public Governance system implementation. In general, measurement or self-assessment that using 14 (fourteen) Good Public Governance principle elaborated by Bappenas (2007) is translated in to several indicators. Such indicators are measured and indicate how well the implementation of Good Public Governance. We try to summarize in to table 3 below:

• To measure implementation of the Good Public Governance system above, institution X (authorized institution) could measure or evaluate the result of assessment (self assessment) at all government institutions that render public service. Based on those assesemnt reports, Institution X may ask those institutions to deliver action plan on improvement program that should be taken within particular time frame, if necessary.
• After being assessed by institution X, public service intuition have to inform the result of Good Public Governance assessment (whether excellent, good, fair, poor, very poor) to public through mass media accessible by public, such as website of each institution. Thus, all stockholders and shareholders know how performance and Good Public Governance implemented in such institution, and meaning that it can improve transparency or full disclosure.
• Do national public satisfaction index assessment periodically and inform the result to public.  These activities should use following methodology: (1) Comprehensive: cover all related public service activities not just certain part; (2) systematically: elaborate logical diagnosis step or well integrated step; (3) Independent: assessment should be done objectively; and refer to universal best practice or comply to international standard. As a consequence of putting information on Good Public Governance system performance to public, it needs to be done an independent assessment by independent institution such as rating agency, public accountant, or other competence parties.  It is mandatory to regulate and appoint which independent institution is authorized to do independent assessment.

If only steps on “DEVELOPING A POWERFUL GOOD PUBLIC GOVERNANCE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM” that we described above well implemented, Good Public Governance will come true. It’s work!!!. Facts/evidence in other country shows how this program strategically works and become “ultimate secret to take Good Public Governance down to earth, for better Indonesia in the future”.

(Wilson Arafat dan Eko Waluyo)

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