Good governance must be supported by highly integrated, productive, and service-oriented officials. This would enable a bureaucracy that is transparent, efficient, and focused on public interests.
However, nepotism and collusion often complicate bureaucracy, which hinders professionalism and creates injustice.
Professor Erwan Agus Purwanto of Public Policy and Management stated that the main impacts of nepotism and collusion include a decline in public service quality, increased risk of corruption, and economic burdens.
“A more cumbersome and complicated bureaucracy will erode public trust,” he said during the Bestari Special Ramadan Lecture Series discussing Nepotism and Collusion as the Root of Bureaucratic Complexity, held on Saturday, Mar. 22, 2025, via UGM’s YouTube channel.
Professor Purwanto shared several facts and real cases from Indonesia, including the identification of 171 regions with political dynasties, as reported by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2023. He also highlighted procurement-related corruption, which has resulted in losses amounting to trillions of rupiah, according to the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) in 2023. Additionally, he discussed the ongoing issue of job-buying practices within government agencies, as noted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2023.
He emphasized several steps for bureaucratic reform and prevention, such as the merit-based recruitment system for civil servants (ASN), digitalization of procurement processes, transparency in asset declarations (LHKPN), conflict-of-interest regulations (PermenPANRB 17/2024), mandatory transparency of beneficial ownership, the implementation of SAKIP for budget transparency, and strengthening internal controls and risk management.
Building a clean and integrity-driven bureaucracy, as outlined in the bureaucratic reform roadmap, involves strengthening integrity systems and oversight, developing a conflict-of-interest management system, enhancing governance in procurement, instilling core values in civil servants (ASN), and committing to implementing policies and court rulings.
Meanwhile, Professor Dyah Mutiarin of Government Studies at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta noted a sharp increase in corruption, collusion, and nepotism cases through 2024.
The number of corruption cases and suspects in Indonesia spiked from 2019 to 2023, with 791 cases and 1,695 suspects in 2023.
Indonesia’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) also fell from 40 in 2019 to 34 in 2023, reflecting a worsening public perception of corruption eradication.
Professor Mutiarin pointed to data from the 2024 ICW Report, which showed that the most common corruption methods in 2023 were fictitious projects, with 288 cases, and budget misuse, with 259 cases, especially in the procurement sector.
This indicates weak oversight and transparency in budget management, providing ample opportunity for corruption.
“Job-buying practices were the leading form of corruption. A total of 371 civil servants (ASN) were named suspects in job-buying-related corruption, involving bribery and gratuities aimed at influencing promotions, transfers, and employee recruitment in various government agencies,” she explained.
According to her, nepotism negatively affects bureaucratic performance as non-merit-based recruitment leads to conflicts and a loss of trust.
Collusion, meanwhile, weakens integrity and public services.
Therefore, internal oversight systems must be strengthened through accountability in financial and performance reports to prevent collusion and nepotism.
“When human resources are recruited without a merit-based system, it creates issues, which is why transparency is essential to prevent nepotism and ensure continuous oversight,” she said.
Author: Kezia Dwina Nathania
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang
Image: Freepik