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Rigid bureaucracy hampers new ministers

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Woman walks by bus in Jakarta

JP/Seto Wardhana - Three days after the presidential inauguration, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced the 38 Cabinet members who will serve during his second term. Twelve deputy ministers were also introduced as part of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet. Jokowi emphasized that he expected results and that those who failed to deliver would be shown the door.To get things done, a minister needs to be agile. However, political accountability and bureaucratic rigidity limit ministers’ much-needed managerial flexibility.To see how political accountability plays out, consider planning and budgeting, both of which are parts of core government activities conducted ahead of the new fiscal year. The programs and budget of 2020, for example, were formulated earlier this year. The deliberation process is long and involves many stakeholders.

Read the full article on Jakarta Post.


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