What Actually Happened with the Delay in Appointment of National Civil Service Candidates?

Is it true that the postponement of the appointment of CPNS is the result of an agreement between the DPR and the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform?

Before the decision to postpone the appointment of civil servant candidates (CPNS) and government employees with work agreements (PPPK) from the 2024 selection results, the appointment of CPNS was scheduled to take place from February 22 to March 23, 2025. Meanwhile, the appointment of PPPK participants for phase 1 was scheduled for February 2025, and phase 2 for July 2025.

However, this plan changed after a meeting between the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (Kemenpan and RB) and Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR). Following the meeting, Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini announced the postponement of the recruitment of civil servant candidates (CPNS) and government employees with work agreements. The recruitment of CPNS has been postponed to a simultaneous schedule on October 1, 2025, while the recruitment of government employees with work agreements will take place on March 1, 2026.

Rini stated that the decision to postpone was the result of a joint policy between the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform and Commission II of the House of Representatives. The postponement, often referred to by the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform as a schedule adjustment, needed to be implemented, among other reasons, because the determination of the effective date of appointment (TMT) in each institution has varied so far.

However, the Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, Aria Bima, denied the agreement. "There is absolutely no agreement that the appointment of civil servant candidates (CPNS) in all agencies must be simultaneous in October 2025 and PPPK in March 2026. So, there is no agreement on postponement; in fact, the House of Representatives is requesting that the process be expedited," he stated.

Why do many people criticize the decision to postpone the appointment of CPNS?

After the decision to postpone the appointment of CPNS was announced, public criticism and rejection of the decision echoed on the social media platform X. Many netizens posted images of black ribbons with the text #SaveCASN2024 #TolakKebijakanTMTSerentak.

Netizens consider the policy to create uncertainty for CASN, especially for those who have already resigned from their previous jobs and moved to other regions where they were supposed to be appointed as CASN. Furthermore, many of the CASN who passed the selection process remain unemployed or without work.

Public rejection also emerged in a petition via the Change.org channel entitled "Provide Acceleration of Appointment of CPNS and PPPK Phase 1 2024".

According to Professor Djohermansyah Djohan from the Institute of Public Administration (IPDN), the delay in appointments creates uncertainty that affects the personal lives of prospective civil servants (ASN). Beyond that, government institutions may also be impacted, particularly in public service sectors such as education, health, and public works. This is because new civil servants are typically recruited to fill positions left vacant by retiring employees.

Why are civil servants still in demand among job seekers amidst the many new professions?

Amid the emergence of various new professions driven by technological advancements, civil servant positions remain attractive to job seekers. This is evidenced by the number of applicants, which far exceeds the number of positions required in several ministries during the 2024 civil servant recruitment selection process.

In the Ministry of Industry, for example, the number of civil servants needed in the agency is 971 people. The details are 925 people for technical personnel, 43 teachers, and 3 health workers. As of September 6, 2024, the number of applicants reached 12,666 applications or more than 13 times the number needed. They were recruited from the registration that was opened since August 20, 2024.

Employment Researcher at the Population Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Triyono, said that civil servants are still the favorite of most job seekers, one of the reasons being that civil servants have more value in the eyes of the public. Civil servants are considered to have a good image in the social strata of community life. This is what causes every time there is a civil servant recruitment, it is always filled with many enthusiasts.

In addition, Triyono added, becoming a civil servant provides stability that many workers are looking for. Although the salary is not as big as many private companies, the work status of being a civil servant is more secure. Moreover, currently, the phenomenon of layoffs (PHK) is increasingly rampant amid economic uncertainty.

What is the direction of civil servant recruitment this time?

The government wants a bureaucracy that has an impact on society and not just focused on piles of files and monotonous routines. That way, the bureaucracy can be more agile, fast, and adaptive to respond to developments in science and technology. Starting from this, the government is pursuing digital talents to become civil servants and enter the bureaucracy.

In addition, the government is also looking for more auditors. Auditors are considered to play a crucial role in improving accountability and government discipline, both at the central and regional levels, including improving the quality of spending.

What other problems arose during the 2024 CPNS selection?

When the CPNS recruitment process was opened in the middle of last year, there was a problem of fulfilling the e-stamp requirements by many applicants. E-stamps became one of the mandatory requirements for CPNS applicants, the obligation was not accompanied by the provision of e-stamps and easy access.

This problem caused the 2024 National Selection Committee (Panselnas) for CPNS to extend the registration deadline, which originally ended on September 6, 2024, to September 10, 2024.

Member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Robert Na Endi Jaweng, received complaints from CPNS selection participants who had difficulty accessing e-stamp purchases. The Ombudsman asked the government to review and improve the e-stamp procurement system to its distribution," said Robert in a written statement in Jakarta, Monday (9/9/2024).

The Indonesian Ombudsman, Robert continued, found that the distribution of e-stamps was organized by 26 distributors. However, only 10 distributors were actively selling to the general public.