<![CDATA[One of the crucial tools for bureaucratic reform aimed at achieving good governance is the merit system. However, its implementation across various Indonesian government agencies has yielded inconsistent results. This research aims to examine the implementation of the merit system in Indonesia to foster good governance, focusing specifically on three key factors: public engagement, accountability, and openness. The study analyzes the regulatory framework and empirical data from the 2018 aggregate self-assessment report compiled by the State Civil Apparatus Commission (KASN) covering ministries, Non-Ministerial Government Agencies (LPNK), and provincial governments using a qualitative descriptive approach based on document and literature reviews. The findings indicate that the majority of ministries and non-ministerial government agencies fall into the "good" to "very good" categories, signaling an advanced level of merit system readiness. Conversely, there are significant regional disparities between western, central, and eastern Indonesia that impact implementation at the provincial level. These disparities stem from budgetary and human resource constraints, varying levels of regulatory understanding, and detrimental local political interference (spoils system practices). Despite these regional obstacles, the study demonstrates both theoretically and empirically that the merit system is a vital instrument for strengthening the three pillars of good governance: enhancing public trust to encourage active community participation, ensuring transparency through open selection procedures for Senior Executive Positions (JPT), and improving accountability through objective performance evaluations.]]>
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