Talent Management Policy and Meritocracy to Accelerate Bureaucratic Reform of Local Government: Comparative Study of Pontianak and Pekanbaru Cities

The Indonesian government prioritizes implementing talent management for bureaucratic reform in civil service (ASN) management. The merit system index measures the implementation of human resource management based on meritocracy values in government agencies with a minimal score of 250. However, data shows that only 12.8%of district and city local government agencies are included in the good and excellent categories, which is still far from the target set. At the end of 2022, based on data from the Indonesian Civil Service Commission (KASN) assessment results, the Pekanbaru City Government (Riau Province) got an outstanding or “Good” category for the merit system index. On the other hand, Pontianak City (West Kalimantan Province) is also in the excellent or “Very Good” category. This study aims to analyze the efforts made by the Pontianak City Government and Pekanbaru City in implementing the ASN management merit system and identify strategies to implement talent management. Studies are based on the results of qualitative research through collection of data and information from various sources, such as interviews, observations, secondary data, and documentation. Purposive sampling is applied with primary data sources obtained directly from the location through documentary evidence, focus group discussion (FGD), and interviews. The results of the study found that the governments of Pontianak City and Pekanbaru City have prepared several policies and initiatives for merit-based ASN management, as well as the implementation of talent management. Political support encourages the implementation of good talent management to be the key to success, because of the understanding of the importance of human resources to improve public services and encourage economic growth and quality of life in Pekanbaru City and Pontianak City. The absence of in-depth studies of talent management applications in city/regency local governments, especially outside Java, can contribute significantly to both the application practice and the science of administration and public policy. Keywords: talent management policy, civil service management, meritocracy, local government, bureaucratic reform