Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman has started the auction process for all echelon I positions and dozens of echelon II level positions within the Ministry of Agriculture. This is a step in the transformation of the Ministry of Agriculture after being hit by various problems.
Amran stated that his party would clean up the Ministry of Agriculture of unscrupulous officials involved in cases of corruption, buying and selling of positions, collusion with businessmen, despicable actions of officials as well as refreshing positions that had not moved for a long time.
“The Minister of Agriculture will auction (open bidding) all problematic echelon I positions in this ministry, including Director Generals, Heads of Agencies and also echelon II officials within the Ministry of Agriculture who are indicated to be problematic. This process is carried out in a transparent and accountable manner,” said the head of the Public Relations and Information Bureau Kuntoro Boga Andri was quoted from an official statement, Saturday (23/12/2023).
Kuntoro explained that this position auction was a commitment by Amran and all staff to restore the reputation of the Ministry of Agriculture. The hope is that after this the ministry can achieve all targets, especially food self-sufficiency.
“We need new energy from the Ministry of Agriculture after the turbulence in legal cases at the Corruption Eradication Commission and other law enforcers. The Minister of Agriculture wants a meritocracy system and creates a clean bureaucracy here,” he added.
This open bidding was immediately welcomed enthusiastically by palm oil farmers. The reason is, this transformation has been promised for years, but has not produced good results.
One of the oil palm farmers from West Sulawesi, Andi Kasruddin Raja Muda, said that before there was a definitive Director General of Plantation, the achievement of smallholder oil palm rejuvenation (PSR) was higher than after there was a definitive Director General of Plantation.
“Indeed, there are several officials in the Directorate of Plantations who are good, committed and know us palm oil farmers with the hope that these officials will get a strategic position to help us palm oil farmers,” he said.
Meanwhile, oil palm farmer from West Kalimantan, Indra Rustandi, actually highlighted the regulations issued by the Director General of Plantation (Kepdirjendbun) regarding the Requirements for Infrastructure Funds which actually “killed” the hopes of oil palm farmers in obtaining funds from the Agricultural Oil Palm Processing Factory or PKS Mini Sarpas funds.
“We in West Kalimantan are still calm, we are still half way towards completing the administrative process for applying for Mini PKS using BPDPKS funds. What is more concerned is the fate of our brothers and sisters, oil palm farmers from West Papua, whose requirements are already 100%, but are forced to do so again when the Directorate General of Plantation issues a Lockdown Decree for Directorate General of Plantation. “that of the total funds proposed by farmer institutions, 30% must come from the proposer and these funds must have been deposited in the proposer's account during the last year,” explained Indra.
On the other hand, the General Chairperson of the APKASINDO DPP hopes that this process can be according to the predetermined schedule because if it drags on it will greatly compromise the national strategic program (PSN) that has been launched by President Jokowi and the Vice President.
He also hopes that there will be regulations that allow public tests such as fit and proper tests for candidates for echelon I and II officials in this open bidding process. So that when you have been selected and your performance deviates, you just have to open your vision and mission during the fit and proper test.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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