Thursday 16 October 2008

"Meritocracy is a myth in Indonesia"

Meritocracy is basically known as the system in which an influential group of individuals whose "progress" is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth.  For many years various countries around the world found meritocracy to be beneficial, however this system sends false hope of a better opportunity; a country that can be discussed is Indonesia. In Indonesia, one can argue that meritocracy is a myth due to evidential support on how one applies for a job or how one is chosen to work for the government. Applying for a job is not as easy as one may think due to the various competitors that a certain individual will face and due to the fact that meritocracy is not an option in making their decision. Meritocracy should be the system used in making the final decisions on who deserves the reward because it is the right thing to do, "let the best man win." Yet in Indonesia, it is not the best individual who wins, however it is the individual who is wealthier with better connections who takes the cake. Megawati Soekarnoputri was elected president of Indonesia on July 23, 2001 and many believe that the only reason why she was elected is because her father was the first president to ever exist in this country. As a president personally, Megawati had her ups and downs and never tend to carry out what she would mention in her speeches. She was not a good president, nor leader for that matter, which proves the argument that is being supported. Therefore, in Indonesia, meritocracy is only known as a myth.

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