ASEAN turns 50 this year, and in a recent summit hosted by President Duterte, civil servants and the capacity they have to ensure effective governments were brought into concern. Although at first glance this would be seen as mere fodder to show that the summit has concluded with standard sentiments that all nations can agree upon, this is not the first time for ASEAN when it comes to advocating reform in government bureaucracy. Indeed, Secretary-Generals of ASEAN have always advocated for good governance. The problem that arises is the extent to which Indonesia can realize their own vision of clean and a productive bureaucracy.

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