The Merit System’s Adaptation to the Implementation of Bureaucratic Official Recruitment and Promotion Policy in South Central Timor Regency

The inequality of human resource (HR) capacity among bureaucrats is an immense challenge confronted by the South Central Timor (SCT) regional government concerning the policy for recruiting and promoting bureaucratic positions. The strong ecological characteristics of the local community with its diverse and varying social, cultural, geographical, economic, and educational environments, coupled with salience of kinship and affiliation have set the backdrop for differences in the bureaucratic personnel’s capacity and performance. Such conditions make it difficult for regional bureaucracies to avoid the emergence of HR capacity disparity issues among bureaucrats. The current study aims to identify and analyze the implementation of bureaucratic position promotion and recruitment policy in SCT Regency. The post-positivist approach was employed in the research by using the descriptive qualitative method. Data were collected through observations, literature study, document study, and in-depth interviews to obtain information, perspectives, and opinions from relevant sources. By comparing theoretical and empirical models, and using the construction of cultural and structural approach models, study results indicate that the merit system’s adaptation developed in recruiting and promoting SCT Regency’s bureaucratic officials tends to use rational representation. This means ethnic representation and native son priority are accommodated in the policy for recruiting and promoting SCT government officials as a manifestation of an achieved mutual consensus, although the process must be conducted through a professional system based on qualifications, competence, and institutional needs.

Several thoughts and study results indicate that the merit system is considered as the most feasible mechanism for developing the bureaucracy's human resource (HR) capacity because it provides an illustration of professional and proportional bureaucratic management. In the merit system, each person is considered to have the exact same opportunity for achieving individual career advancement or gaining appreciation according to their respective contributions. Such conditions indicate that there is a distributive justice model in the merit-based HR development concept. HR with higher capacities and contributions have greater chances to achieve career development and performance appreciation compared to HR with lower ones.
McCourt (2007, p. 5) defines the merit system as "the appointment of the best person for any given job". Hence, a job or position should be held by the best people on account of their quality and competence (Herman, 2012, p. 67), instead of ascriptive factors such as social class, gender, ethnicity, or even wealth (Kumorotomo, 2006, p. 4).
Stahl, in Public Personnel Administration, discusses the meritocracy concept in the context of modern society, as having a more extensive meaning than job selection. Stahl argues that nowadays the term meritocracy is not only used to convey a form of entry selection in a service, but the term has also become more widely used in other aspects throughout the personnel system, such as remuneration, performance assessment, and desired working conditions. Broadly speaking, meritocracy in modern public administration is a personnel system wherein each individual is selected based on competence and performance in providing public services (Stahl, 1971, p. 30).
Gordon describes meritocracy by emphasizing work competence and rejecting patronage relating to loyalty and political connections.
Meritocracy offers personnel continuity and stability while patronage allows executives to favor loyal subordinates. So, in practice both are Politics in Bantul Distric, Yogyakarta and Gianyar Distric, Bali. In undergraduate program he teaches theory of development and public policy, and in postgraduate program he teaches regional autonomy and policy formulation. overlapping (Gordon, 1982, p. 335). Additionally, according to Van Riper (1971), a country applying the concept of meritocracy is (1) able to distribute public service officers more rationally and systematically than a spoils system approach; and (2) able to prevent potential corruption and combination of business and political oligarchies that often thrive within a spoils system. Meritocracy has provided equal opportunities for lower-level members of the society to raise their social status, economic class, and decent place in a hierarchy, and it has instilled the ideology that everyone has equal opportunity to succeed as long as they have the ability to cultivate the capacity required in society (Wiederkehr et al., 2015). In this context, meritocracy functions as a machine that maintains social order. The value of social equity is achieved when an organized and balanced society has been established wherein all citizens have the opportunity to build a decent life and fragile communities can receive assistance as necessary (Irawan, 2017).
Descriptions of the studies above are ideal conditions pertaining to meritocracy that emphasizes on the significance of employee selection and promotion based on competence instead of other irrelevant considerations. This implies that clear and universally acceptable standards should apply to all personnel in the organization when giving promotions to ensure maximum public administration performance (La Palombara, 1967;Warwick, 1975;Collins, 1986).
The general description of the studies above is that, essentially, public service becomes more rational and systematic if meritocracy is used in the selection process (recruitment, placement, promotion, and transfer). This approach's basic assumption is that the selection system in public bureaucracy should be able to recruit the best personnel, and meritocracy is the tool to achieve that end. in Yogyakarta with its special administrative system based on a monarchical system. Within the power structure, the monarchical system is established upon the basis of traditional and charismatic legitimacy. Power and authority is centered on the monarch, not the regulation. This is antithetical to Weber's rational-legal authority model that places rule of law above power (Hoadley, 2006in Saputra et al., 2018. Based on the above cases, it can be said that the various concepts developed in the Western model public administration has not been entirely accepted into the social culture of developing countries that tend to be multicultural; even the majority of people who still maintain strong ties with their local tradition view the Western model as a hindrance to public entity itself. According to Riggs (1979), the ecology determines the success or failure of public administration practices (Saputra et al., 2018, pp. 280-281).
Every country has its own political or That is why only knowledge and competence are required in that process.
In contrast, the recruitment and promotion process for official political and administrative positions in developing countries, including Indonesia, is often closed and not properly formulated. Although candidates for those positions come from educated lower, middle, and upper social classes (Rush & Althoff, 2003). In relation to that study, Riggs (1996)

Recruitment of Bureaucratic Elites
In the perspective of public organization, Bernadin & Russel (1993, p. 201)  Similarly, Czudnowski (1975, p. 172) states that recruitment is a link between the public and the political system, wherein the relationship contains the following three bases: First, every political order requires institutional continuity, but continuity also implies change of personnel; Second, government policy-making tends to emphasize relevance, consistency, and effectiveness. But, the public's cultural, social, and economic life tend to change constantly; Third, government is founded on authority, but to gain legitimacy the government must demonstrate public accountability.
Czudnowski also posits, recruitment may serve as a means for resolving dilemmas within a certain period of time. Consequently, recruitment functions to preserve the system and usher in major changes, by recruiting members of the society and involving them in certain roles.
Based on the above arguments, two main ideas can be asserted, namely: first, recruitment is a process capable of producing elites who can become leaders holding administrative, political, or government positions for exercising power and maintaining continuity of the state's political system; second, by carrying out the recruitment procedure based on the existing rules, recruitment may thus have an impact on elites, including the Concerning the recruitment and promotion of bureaucratic officials, Geddes in Masdar (2008) proposes a typology of recruitment strategy used by the executive in choosing a "supporting system" in their administration. Geddes' reasoning can also be used to examine the concept of bureaucratic promotion that executives conduct in the regions.
The following are the four types of recruitment strategy proposed by Geddes: The first type is called civil service reform. In this typology, the consideration for recruiting top bureaucratic officials is the merit system, taking competence and loyalty into account. The fourth type is called immediate survival.

Recruitment of top bureaucratic officials disregards
the competence of candidates for groups that have contributed to the incumbent. Appointments are also followed by the authority to recruit subordinates. Recruitment for other policymaking positions is based on considerations of resources that "applicants" have and the authority to recruit others. Recruitments for other posts are achieved through patronage controlled by supporters of the executive. Almond & Coleman (1996) suggests at least two recruitment models in a political system that are applicable as of current. The first model is the ascriptive style, wherein individuals are selected to hold a certain position based on bloodline and social status, gender, race, ethnicity, and religious affiliation. The second model is called achievement-oriented recruitment, which emphasizes more on technical expertise and leadership as necessary occupational elements and avoids collusion in every policy that will be made. By adopting Almond's argument, the study focuses on examining practices of bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion in SCTR. Kim (1996, pp. 228-229)  can provide anyone service in various significant opportunities. Kernaghan (1991, p. 228) stated that representative bureaucracy is a micro cosmos or miniature of society as a whole. This perspective is frequently used to explain the relationship between development and public officials.

Representative Bureaucracy
Proponents of this argument, based on Kim's (1992) summary, are Lewis (1990), Gallas (1985), Goodsell (1983), Krislov (1974, Subramaniam Correspondingly, Warner (2001) argues that representativeness in the bureaucracy develops greater balance and democratic zeal by allowing local community representatives access to power, implying that power/authority is exercised based on powers of regional representatives accommodating social groups within government bureaucracy. Such accommodation is expected so that the democratic process in pluralistic or multiethnic countries can be managed through the representativeness approach.
Based on the representative bureaucracy concept elaborated above, Kernaghan (1991) and Warner (2001) are employed as analytical scalpels to support the recruitment concept in examining the implementation of bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion in SCTR.

Methods
The post-positivist approach is employed in the research by using the qualitative descriptive method to provide analyses on how the merit system adapts to the policy on bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion in SCTR. Research data were collected using various techniques such as observation, literature study, document study, and in-depth interviews to gain information, perspectives, and opinions from relevant sources.
Data analysis in the research was done using the NVIVO software.

of Bureaucratic Officials
In order to recruit an ideal official, the bureaucracy must refer to what Weber, who aspired for an ideal bureaucracy, mentioned as cited by Warwick (1975:4)

Recruitment and Promotion Policy
A significant challenge faced by the SCT regional government in terms of Recruitments remain considered as though they are a necessary annual activity instead of a need to enhance the quality of public services and administration. This is a very real indication due to the absence of job analysis as a precondition to determine job requirement.
Naqib in Herman (2006) states that the dominant factor causing ineffective and non-optimal civil servant performance in providing public services, which may even seem similar to concealed unemployment, is that employee recruitment policies in government organizations are not based on labor planning but on power factors and political interests instead (Herman, 2006). This condition is exacerbated by collusion, corruption, and nepotism without due considerations to individual competence and expertise. The regional culture's strong ecological characteristics coupled with the salience of kinship and affiliations have also resulted in the recruitment process being incapable of producing State Civil Apparatus (Aparatur Sipil Negara -ASN) meeting the qualification requirements. There is even a greater tendency to prioritize native sons in ASN recruitment (Green, 2005).
To a d d re s s H R i n e q u a l i t y a m o n g bureaucrats so they can fulfil regulatory demands,

SCTR's leaders have currently taken measures to
reconstruct the bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion model. The reconstruction is achieved by having the merit system adapt to their bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion policy, which aligns with local contexts and availability of regional bureaucratic HR so that public services can be provided optimally. The recruitment mechanism used in the merit system's adaptation is even developed not only to employ a structural approach model as formal requirements do, but also to employ a cultural approach model without disregarding the minimum requirements demanded in the applicable regulations.

Structural Approach.
S t r u c t u ra l a p p ro a c h m e a n s t h a t  When we compare the practice of recruiting and promoting officials in the context of the structural approach above with the recruitment concept proposed by Almond & Coleman (1996). Almond (1996) to use as an analytical tool in the study, it is undeniably counterproductive. Almond & Coleman (1996)

Competence -Based Internal Promotion
Partly On -Going According to Rank Open Bidding (SCT Regional House of Representative) (SCT Regional Development Planning Agency) (SCT Regent).

Source: Data Processing Results
By using NVIVO, data processing results indicate that, in the structural approach, two different mechanisms are employed in the recruitment and promotion of bureaucratic officials in SCTR, i.e. merit-system-based mechanism and internal-consideration-based mechanism. The merit-system-based mechanism is used for recruitment of First Level Senior Executive Service (JPTP) positions. In this mechanism, qualifications, competence, integrity, Competence and best person for the job in the merit system's adaptation are consequently translated into the assertion that determining the best person to hold a bureaucratic position, aside from having sufficient skills and educational background, she/he should also be able to bring the organization, duties, and functions closer with ecological needs, be concerned about the conditions of the region they lead, be able to realize ideas in developing and empowering the community, be able to resolve local issues such as boundary/territorial disputes or interethnic conflicts without being coopted by political interests. Among the regional government's efforts to enhance the limited HR quality of bureaucrats, so they can fulfil administrative requirements and obtain bureaucratic positions, is by sending potential bureaucrats to take a study leave to pursue higher education level. Additionally, bureaucratic personnel are also given the opportunity to participate in Leadership Training and Education programs and other Technical Education/Training programs in the bureaucracy.

Source: Data Processing Results
The table below provides an illustration of the bureaucracy's human resource composition in the senior executive service based on education level, as follows: Bachelor's Degree (S1) 58 3.

Cultural Approach
The cultural approach in the bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion mechanism is used to observe how the merit system adapts to the strong ecological characteristics of SCTR's local community with its diverse and varying social, cultural, geographic, economic, and educational environments. Although the policy is counterproductive to the ideal recruitment criteria, theoretically speaking, the above phenomenon can be analyzed using the representative bureaucracy model. This is similar to the perspective aspired by Lee (via

Prioritizing Native Sons
With the stability of development activities, politics, and security in mind, considering Native

Sons in the bureaucratic office recruitment and
promotion policy is a crucial factor in SCTR. The parameter of "the right people in the right place" formula applies to people who understand and master their tasks and responsibilities, who have integrity and good moral character, who can be a role model for people they lead, who have the personality to serve even the lowest and most remote constituents, and who is willing to continue to learn and hone their ability. Such typology is what they consider as Native Sons.
Native sons are considered to have a better understanding of the people's social conditions as they are originally from one of these community groups themselves. Another reason to consider is that the public shows greater respect when the government involves more native sons to be appointed as leaders in their respective regions.
It is easier for the public to accept and support them as their leaders.
"The competence we want is that certain strategic positions should be given not only to people who have good managerial and intellectual abilities,

Bureaucratic official recruitment and promotion mechanism
Source: Data Processing

Source: Data Processing
Data analysis results indicate that the development of merit system's adaptation to the bureaucratic office recruitment and promotion mechanism in SCTR also prioritizes native sons and pays attention to balance of ethnic configuration.
but also to native sons and daughters who are charismatic, revered as a figure, listened to when speaking.
These are the individuals that should be appointed to strategic positions for the stability of regional security" (Jean E.M. Neonufa, S.E., Chair of SCTR Regional House of Representatives 2014-2019 period) The native son consideration is commonly used in the recruitment and promotion policy for Administrator Office level, namely the District Head (Camat) position. In this context, the camat position is considered vital as they are the spearhead of the regional government in realizing the elected regional head's vision and mission for constituents residing in their respective areas, and they must also be able to resolve problems in their district such as territorial disputes, interethnic conflicts, and other local issues.

Configuration
In the public administration perspective, ethnicity is inherent in every culture of the society, and it is one of the elements of civilized society. Accordingly, ethnicity can be managed in accordance with the development of public administration paradigm through public policies in a multiethnic government. Public administration considers recruitment as a part of management, and management is the essence of administration. Whereas leadership is the essence of management (Siagian, 1985).
This means that recruitment and promotion of bureaucratic officials constantly come into contact with the public administration dimension aimed at creating a conducive government system that is integrated in a plural society. Rasyid (1991)  In the context of this research, an agreement leading to a consensus on ethnicity during the early establishment of the SCT autonomous region is indicative of a regional government existing amidst a multiethnic society, hence prompting its government to take strategic measures of having the merit system adapt to the mechanism for recruiting and promoting officials by representing ethnicity in the regional government's public policy.
'In terms of recruiting bureaucratic officials, we really pay attention to the balance of three major ethnicities in the regency: Mollo, Amanatun, and Amanuban. We have a philosophy "Tmeup Tabua Nekaf Mese Ansaof Mese" which means "Work Together, One Heart-One Mind", and this philosophy is an ancestral heritage that we have to maintain and preserve. We accommodate ethnic representation, but we do not disregard technical issues like education, competence of every candidate" (Regent of SCT 2019-2024 period).
The regional government considers ethnic representation as an important factor when holding a bureaucratic position to maintain a permanent balance between power and interests of the multiethnic society. Additionally, the regional government gains legitimate support from the local communities for the power they wield.
Warner ( Another implication is that the merit system's adaptation to the mechanism for recruiting and promoting bureaucratic officials in the region can maintain economic and political stability and security because it can develop balance and democratic zeal by providing local community representatives access to power.
Additionally, such accommodative measure is expected so that the democratic process in pluralistic or multiethnic regions can be managed using the representativeness perspective. This means that ecological values of local communities are considered and accommodated without disregarding professionalism as required by regulations that generally apply.
The merit system adaptation policy's weakness is that the bureaucratic personnel's competitiveness becomes lower since no competitor can be set as a benchmark in terms of competence, skill, and professionalism in certain fields of duty. Consequently, the productivity and performance of HR among local bureaucrats become stagnant and even ineffective and inefficient in providing public services.