Regional Heads are Prohibited from Appointing Special Staff, but Ministers are Allowed, Why?

The appointment of celebrity Deddy Corbuzier as a special staff or special staff member to the Minister of Defense has drawn public attention. The position of special staff, in particular, is considered inappropriate given President Prabowo Subianto's instruction to streamline the budget.

Moreover, previously, the National Civil Service Agency or BKN prohibited regional heads from appointing special staff with the reason of preventing regional budget waste. So, why are ministers allowed to appoint special staff while regional heads are prohibited?

Through his Instagram account, on Tuesday (11/2/2024), Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced the appointment of Deddy Corbuzier as the Special Staff of the Minister of Defense for Social and Public Communication. Deddy became one of six special staff and special assistants inaugurated that day, at the Bhineka Tunggal Ika Hall, Ministry of Defense, Jakarta.

"The appointment of the Defense Minister's Special Staff emphasizes the importance of strategic role collaboration in maintaining sovereignty," said Sjafrie as quoted from his personal Instagram post on Tuesday.

It did not take long for the appointment of the special staff to become a public spotlight. In the virtual world, the term special staff briefly became one of the hot topics of discussion. Netizens questioned Deddy's capacity to be appointed as special staff, but many also criticized the presence of special staff amidst President Prabowo's instruction for every ministry/agency to streamline the budget at the end of last January.

Since the instruction was issued, all ministries/agencies have been struggling to cut their budgets to meet the budget efficiency target set by the President of Rp 306.69 trillion.

The programs of several institutions are threatened after the instruction was issued. Several institution leaders have requested the government to review the policy referred to as budget efficiency. Likewise, community groups that are likely to become victims if the institution's programs are terminated as a result of budget efficiency. Not only that, budget cuts also affect lower-middle level civil servants. They complain about budget cuts that result in the loss of several work facilities in their respective offices.

In the midst of that situation, the appointment of several special staff and special assistants at the Ministry of Defense clearly raises questions. The reason is, the appointment of special staff will inflate the state budget.

Referring to Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 10 of 2024 concerning the Adjustment of Basic Salaries for Civil Servants, the salary range for special staff equivalent to structural positions of echelon Ib or high-ranking middle leadership positions is between Rp 3,880,400 and Rp 6,373,200.

Not only basic salary, special staff also deserve allowances like civil servants. The allowances in question are structural or functional position allowances, general allowances, husband-wife allowances, child allowances, food or rice allowances, 13th salary and THR. The largest allowance is obtained from performance allowances for employees in the Ministry of Defense, the amount can range from IDR 20.6 million to IDR 29 million per month.

In addition to being able to inflate the budget, the minister's permission to appoint special staff has also been questioned after last week, BKN Head Zudan Arif Fakhrulloh prohibited regional heads from appointing special staff, as well as experts or expert teams. One of the prohibitions is to prevent budget waste.

The Head of the Defense Information Bureau (Karo Infohan) of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General (TNI) Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, argued that the appointment of special staff was in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 140 of 2024 concerning the Organization of State Ministries. In the presidential regulation, specifically in Article 69, it is stated that "Special staff can be appointed within the Coordinating Ministry or Ministry environment, a maximum of five people" and "Special staff are appointed by the Coordinating Minister or Minister after receiving the president's approval."

Regarding public criticism that the appointment of special staff is considered inappropriate amidst budget efficiency, Frega said that the Ministry of Defense continues to follow the government's decision on budget efficiency. Currently, the Ministry of Defense has carried out a number of efficiencies such as in the implementation of the Ministry of Defense-TNI Leadership Meeting, some time ago, which was switched to virtual, so that it can cut travel costs, accommodation and other administrative costs.

"The appointment of special staff is based on considerations to assist the Ministry of Defense's duties related to state sovereignty, territorial integrity and national safety," he added, Wednesday (12/2/2024).

Meanwhile, Zudan Arif Fakhrulloh, when met at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday, argued that the prohibition on regional heads appointing special staff emerged after during a working meeting with Commission II of the DPR last week, many aspirations emerged from the regions regarding the appointment of honorary and honorary workers to become government employees with work agreements (PPPK).

However, the constraint is that the budget to absorb all of these aspirations is not there. Therefore, Zudan provided a solution so that the budget is focused on appointing honorary workers to become PPPK.

"I also appeal not to appoint experts. Both experts attached to regional heads and experts attached to regional apparatus organizations. Do not appoint special staff either because the regions do not have the money. It is better to focus on completing honorary workers to become PPPK," he said.

However, researcher at the National Secretariat of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Seknas Fitra) Gulfino Guevarrato reminded that the appointment of special staff amidst President Prabowo's policy of streamlining the budgets of ministries/institutions and regional governments (pemda) is still unethical.

"This actually disrupts the atmosphere of interest of the ministry and others. At the time when there are honorary employees who are not extended, for example. Or, there are special staff or expert staff who are not extended because they have no work while on the other hand, the Ministry of Defense is selling off special staff," he said.

Executive Director of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) Djayadi Hanan assessed that the appointment of special staff by ministers is indeed not a problem if viewed according to the rules. However, if examined more deeply, there has been an inconsistency in policy since the beginning of President Prabowo's administration.

If the APBN fiscal space is indeed limited, why did the government add so many new ministries. In addition to the increasing number of ministerial nomenclatures, the number of deputy ministers and special staff is also greater than the government of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo.

The inconsistency of the policy is then felt to be contradictory by the public, especially now, the appointment of special staff by the minister at a time when the government is intensifying efficiency or budget savings. On the other hand, regional heads are prohibited from appointing special staff.

Although, it could be that the reason BKN appealed to regional heads not to appoint special staff and experts is for reasons of efficiency because transfer funds from the center have decreased drastically. Regional transfer funds that have been cut have resulted in regional fiscals being increasingly limited if they are used to pay special staff and experts.

"In Jakarta, during the era of Governor Anies Baswedan, he appointed the Governor's Team for Accelerated Development (TGUPP). The number was very large, dozens of people. If all regional heads appointed like that, of course it would be a burden on the regional budget. Meanwhile, we know that the budget in the regions has been small," added Djayadi.

Whatever it is, he reminded, the budget efficiency policy should be treated equally for all without exception. And to smooth the policy, according to the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University Ferry Daud Liando, the central government should provide an example of implementing budget efficiency. The Presidential Instruction should be carried out consistently without increasing state spending.