IDF 2019: The Rise of NTT through Improving Human Resource Quality and Creating Employment Opportunities

Imagine Plenary session, the NTT Special Session.

For the first time, Indonesia Development Forum 2019 presented a special session, engaging the local level to participate. East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) was selected as the first province in Indonesia that became the pilot for reducing open unemployment rate. The focus of IDF 2019 is about employment, and NTT has successfully lowered the rate of its open unemployment (TPT) to 3.10 per cent, below the national TPT. This has placed NTT as the sixth lowest TPT province in Indonesia.

However, NTT still faces the challenges of poverty and low worker productivity. That is why it was selected to share some of its best development practices to develop an integrated solution against these challenges around human resources development and job creation. 

Through IDF 2019, which underlined the theme of “Mission Possible: Seizing the Opportunities for Future Work to Drive Inclusive Growth,” the government and various parties promoted efforts to improve investment climate to create employment. They also developed globally competitive micro, small, and medium businesses, and developed local talents and markets, as well as improved the quality of human capital in NTT. 

In the Imagine Plenary session, the NTT Special Session, Vice Governor Josef Nae said that NTT carries the slogan of Rise Up NTT, Prosperous NTT (NTT Bangkit, NTT Sejahtera).  

“How do we rise up? We engage all components in NTT and people of NTT origin living outside of NTT to at least think about the province,” he said. 

To rise, said Josef, NTT must strive to catch up. Currently, NTT is the third poorest province in Indonesia. The NTT government has begun to develop a grand design by utilising its strengths, including tourism.

 “NTT is the only place in the world that has Komodo Dragons,” he continued. 

“The most beautiful island in the world is located in Sumba Island, but it is also home to the worst roads,” he added.  

Thus, according to Josef, achieving prosperity means developing tourism supported by accessibility and engaging all elements of NTT community. 

“Accessibility in NTT is extremely low, power installation rate in this province is also the lowest in Indonesia,” said Josef, describing the challenges that must be faced in NTT.  

The aforementioned measure, claimed Josef, has begun by building roads using village fund. 

Josef also said other potentials that can be developed in NTT include its coffee, which is widely known in the world. 

“NTT’s coffee is the best in Europe,” added Josef.  

Another potential is the livestock sector. According to Josef, with these potentials, NTT’s rise can start by its own riches.

The Minister of Village, Underdeveloped Regions, and Transmigration, Eko Putro Sandjojo, agreed on NTT’s tourism potential. 

“Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDES) can be directed towards the tourism sector,” Eko said. 

Minister Eko underlined that one of the challenges in NTT is most of its areas are dry and hot, with limited water. 

“NTT’s infrastructure is also very lackluster. Without infrastructure, it will be very difficult for NTT to develop,” he said.  

Therefore, the national government has built water infrastructures. 

“The government built seven dams in NTT,” he continued.  

In addition, retention basins are also built in NTT, to be used to support the irrigation for sugar cane farms.  

Among the speakers was also the 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner and women and environmental activist, Aleta Baun. Aleta claimed to still seeing development that is not inclusive. 

“Because development is only for specific people, while the poor are still poor,” said Aleta.  

Hence, Aleta asked that the government ensure a more inclusive development by involving people from the grass root level. 

“A development that involves people from the grass root level, kampong or village government, NGOs, and others,” she said.  

She gave an example that people from grass root living in remote areas in NTT cannot speak Bahasa Indonesia, and are often not listened to or engaged in the development process.  

More than that, Aleta elaborated, in order to be sustainable, development cannot overlook nature conservation aspects. Land, water, and rocks are essential for human lives, and must always be preserved. 

 “Conserve natural resources to advance development,” she strictly said. 

Joseph Robert Daniel from the Institute of Resource Governance and Social spoke in the Special Session on Rise Up NTT. Joseph described that local talents often emerges organically in NTT. Joseph mentioned of four talents developing in NTT, and has the potential to advance the region.

 

“The talents consist of inclusive social economy, media, education sector, including scholarships, and literacy groups and media,” explained Joseph Robert.  According to him, these four have been working by themselves.

 

“If these talents can be assembled, that can be a major force,” he reiterated.

 

One social business is conducted by Hanna Keraf from Du’anyam. She shared her story on the inclusive business of Du’anyam that has helped mothers across NTT.

 

“Women empowered by Du’anyam gained an alternative income, which improved their revenue by 40 per cent,” said Hanna, the COO of Du’anyam.

 

Du’anyam has worked with around a thousand mothers in almost 50 villages. Du’anyam has also leveraged crafts made of lontar leaf from NTT to the national level, even to a number of other countries. Du’anyam has also collaborated with IDF 2019 to make merchandise for participants and invitees.

 

In arts, there was Nathalino Mela, a traditional sasando music artist. In the Ideas and Innovation Marketplace session of “Art Culture Development”, he presented his desire to make sasando world famous.

 

“I want this instrument to not only recognised and played by children in NTT or Indonesia, but also in the world,” he said. He does it by promoting through social media and roadshows to various areas. Last year Nathalino conducted promotion in Columbia and Malaysia. 

 

From the film side, Alberto Manuel Maia from Kupang Film Community presented the Eastern narration directly, not just represented through exoticism in movies. In the past, film screenings in Kupang was paid with 5 liters of water and timber.

 

This film community developed a program called “Friday in the Garage” or Jumat di Garasi, as an alternative movie theatre to play and discuss various films. When mainstream media presented a lot of capital narration, they produced films grounded in reality, such as discussing about patriarchy, violence towards women, and human trafficking.

 

“Our distance with investors is too far. We have not found a definite model to survive,” he stated.

 

With all of its limitations and potentials, NTT is able to develop future work to drive inclusive and sustainable growth.