EVALUASI IMPLEMENTASI SISTEM MERIT DALAM BIROKRASI PEMERINTAHAN DI KABUPATEN KOLAKA

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the implementation of the merit system in the government bureaucracy in Kolaka Regency, starting from regional agencies to the village government level. Although the State Administrative Law regulations have mandated the governance of the apparatus based on qualifications and competencies, empirical reality shows that there is a significant disparity. Implementation on the ground is hampered by strong political intervention and the persistence of a patronage culture. At the regional elite level, the open selection stage for the Primary High Leadership Position (JPTP) is vulnerable to being reduced to a procedural formality to accommodate candidates who have been affiliated. This degradation of governance has hierarchical implications to the village government structure. The weak monitoring instrument in the Village Head Election (Pilkades) opens up space for the dominance of local elites, which ultimately leads to the recruitment of village officials outside the competency standards. This phenomenon directly degrades the operational efficiency and overall performance of the apparatus. Therefore, this study recommends the reconstruction of administrative governance through strengthening the executive power of supervisory institutions, increasing the objectivity of the selection mechanism, and enforcing strict administrative sanctions in order to realize a bureaucracy of Kolaka Regency with integrity and accountability.