"Public service is the concrete face of the state's presence in people's daily lives," said Widodo in video remarks at the virtual submission of the Ombudsman 2020 annual report from Jakarta on Monday.
A state is considered to be present if it is able to provide excellent, fast, professional, and just public services, the President emphasized.
Therefore, the President reiterated the importance of sustainable efforts from all levels of government to ensure excellent services to the people. In addition, it is necessary to transform systems, governance, and change the mindset and work culture of the bureaucracy in Indonesia, he pointed out.
Public service officers must prioritize their duty to serve, rather than being served, Widodo observed.
Future public services, he said, must be innovative, fast, and result-oriented. Public services must leave the rigid working model behind and avoid getting trapped in procedural and administrative hurdles, he added.
"(It is) A great work for all of us, (and it) requires the participation of all elements of society," he remarked.
To improve public services, the government needs supervision from the Indonesian Ombudsman, Widodo said. Supervision can be provided in the form of suggestions, support, or even criticism, he added.
"So that public services in our country will be of higher quality," he continued.
The former DKI Jakarta Governor lauded the performance of the Ombudsman in monitoring and supervising the provision of public services in Indonesia.
He said the Ombudsman has thus far overseen public services provided by central government, regional governments, state-owned enterprises and private bodies, as well as individuals appointed to provide certain public services.
"I express my appreciation, I express the highest appreciation to the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia, who continues to oversee, supervise the implementation of public services,” the President remarked. (INE
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Translator: Indra Arief Pribadi/Aria Cindy
Editor: Suharto
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