RECONSTRUCTING PUBLIC OFFICIALS’ CRITERIA IN INDONESIA FROM AL-FĀRĀBĪ’S PERSPECTIVE: COMPETENCE, VIRTUE, AND WELFARE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20414/js.v8i2.135Keywords:
al-Fārābī; al-Madīnah al-Fāḍilah; public officials; political leadership; competence; virtue; public welfare.Abstract
The appointment of public officials is a critical dimension of political governance because the quality of leadership directly influences institutional performance and public welfare. In Indonesia, the appointment of officials who lack adequate competence raises concerns regarding merit, ethical leadership, and the capacity of public institutions to address complex societal challenges. This article examines the relevance of al-Fārābī’s political philosophy, particularly the concept of al-Madīnah al-Fāḍilah, for reconstructing criteria for public officials in Indonesia. Employing a qualitative conceptual approach and library research, the study analyzes al-Fārābī’s political thought alongside contemporary scholarship on public leadership, competence, virtue, and governance. The analysis demonstrates that al-Fārābī conceptualizes political leadership not merely in terms of authority or administrative capacity but as a moral and intellectual responsibility directed toward the attainment of collective happiness (saʿādah). Based on this framework, the study proposes three interconnected criteria for public officials: competence, virtue, and welfare orientation. Competence encompasses intellectual capacity, knowledge, judgment, and the ability to perform public responsibilities effectively. Virtue refers to ethical integrity, justice, self-discipline, and commitment to the common good. Welfare orientation requires public officials to exercise authority toward social well-being rather than personal, familial, or political interests. The article argues that integrating these dimensions provides a normative framework for strengthening merit-based appointment and ethical public leadership in Indonesia. The study contributes to contemporary political discourse by translating a classical Islamic philosophical framework into a contextual model for evaluating public leadership and promoting more competent, virtuous, and welfare-oriented governance.
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