RECRUITMENT OF BUREAUCRATIC OFFICIALS FOR THE POSITION OF HEAD OF THE COMMUNITY AND VILLAGE EMPOWERMENT AGENCY, 2018, IN THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF WEST JAVA PROVINCE, POST-GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the recruitment of bureaucratic officials for the position of head of the community and village empowerment agency, in the Regional Government of West Java Province, in 2018, after the simultaneous regional head (governor) general election in 2018. The positions are filled by the open selection, and this is a reflection of the merit system’s implementation.

The motivation of the study about the recruitment of bureaucratic officials very interesting because in the implementation of determining bureaucratic officials are very vulnerable to political factors or patronage factors in the implementation of the recruitment process for bureaucratic officials. With the existence of an open recruitment system, elected officials are officials who have the competence and ability to carry out their duties. That way it will serve the community is created well because the placement of bureaucracy officials is in accordance with competence.

In addition, this study utilized a qualitative research method, and data collection was carried out through interviews and documentation. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using a descriptive qualitative technique, by drawing conclusions.

The results showed the recruitment of bureaucratic officials for the position of the agency head, besides referring to the merit system principles of jobs at every level, the best candidate, open to all, and systematic, transparent as well as challengeable, requires one more dimension to perfect the merit system’s implementation in open selection. This dimension is the commitment of a regional head.

The authority of a regional head (governor) in the selection of the best out of three candidates, based on the selection committee's assessment, leads to possible gaps in the existence of non-merit factors during the implementation. This is due to the lack of transparency in delivering information on the three best candidates’ assessments, submitted only by name, in alphabetical order. In the past, the governor's assessment was performed in private, and this strengthened the non-merit factor gap. Therefore, the reform was brought about by the Governor's interview method, originally a closed interview, but now changed to an open interview for the three candidates and broadcast live, by local television.