IDF 2019: Learning from Innovations of Local Governments with The Best Development Planning

The Inspire session in Indonesia Development Forum (IDF) 2019 entitled “2019 Regional Development Award Winners”.

Several regions delivered various innovations to improve the quality of their human resources and work opportunities. In East Java, for example, improving human capital is conducted through the health sector from an early age, namely improving maternal and child health. 

“The village was engaged to see how many pregnant mothers there. All of them was recorded in the data. Since there were many villages, we involved university students,” said Prasetyo Ariwibowo, Head of the Local Development Planning Agency (Bappeda).

His statement was conveyed in the Inspire session in Indonesia Development Forum (IDF) 2019 entitled “2019 Regional Development Award Winners”. 

From the perspective of improving the quality of human capital, this program for pregnant mothers and infants was undertaken because based on studies, a high number of maternal and child mortality is caused by lack of clear information. For example, many pregnancies are at high risk but go undetected.

“High-risk pregnant mothers must be managed with special treatment,” he added. 

From the perspective of Educational System Reform and Vocational Training for Future Work, East Java has made a breakthrough by establishing the boarding school program for students who are poor but have high academic achievement.

“There are three boarding schools in East Java: in Semarang, Pati, and Purbalingga. Almost 100 percent of their graduates are absorbed in the workforce,” he added. 

The government coordinates with the private sector to match the graduates with the companies’ needs, for example in automotive, agricultural technology, electronics, and electrical engineering. 

“We will grow to 15 boarding schools by 2020,” add Prasetyo. 

In addition to boarding schools, private vocational schools are also assisted through the School Assistance Fund to encourage them to provide facilities to provide education and training according to the request of the working world. 

Now let us shift to Tanah Datar District, which received the Best National Development Planning Award in 2019. Tanah Datar has very limited natural resources. 

“Tanah Datar’s Local Budget only has IDR 1.3 trillion, and Local Own-Source Revenue (PAD) of 125-129 billion to keep development afloat,” said Tanah Datar District Head, Irdinansyah Tarmizi. 

He went on to explain that the local government continued to find ways to use existing funds to improve the people’s welfare.

“We have been concentrating on the quality of human resources. Coincidentally, it fits with President Jokowi’s current program, although we have been doing it for four years,” explained Irdinansyah.

This human resource development, Irdinansyah continued, is done through the Smart Gate (Gerbang Cerdas) Program that includes formal education, non-formal education, and informal education program passed down from generation to generation. 

“Our motto is no children from Tanah Datar will be excluded from school due to lack of money, or because they are poor,” he continued.

The local government then finds education funds from the Local Budget (APBD), funds from various institutions, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), from local companies, and national companies. The district government of Tanah Datar will also try to help students of Tanah Datar who passed the test to State Universities, but are unable to financially pay so that they can go to college with the government’s help.

For those who did not make State Universities, the district government provides a skills training program, for example, songket (traditional hand-woven fabric) and weaving skills. This skills training also serves as an effort to sustain the skills handed down from generation to generation by Tanah Datar people. 

“We establish weaving houses, there are lessons from parents to their children,” he added.

The above-mentioned patterns, said Irdinansyah, has successfully improved the people’s welfare. In fact, Tanah Datar District was awarded the best district in Development Planning 2019.

In talent and local market development, West Papua Province is managing its local forest, so that it can be used sustainably for the local people. Papua has a primary forest of 91,561 hectares, housing various wild plants and animals. The forest in West Papua has become a “kitchen”, “pharmacy”, and source of life for the local people.

However, forest use by native West Papuans is currently still in the sub-system scale. Forest potential and land use at the wider community scale can unlock opportunities for food companies and forest environmental services in West Papua.

The University of Papua and the local Crops, Fisheries, and Tourism Offices are cooperating with WRI and EcoNusa Foundation to conduct the study of “Food and Land Use”. The result of this study recommends that native Papuans manage sustainable ecotourism and food businesses.

Kristian Sauyai, a representative of Homestay Association of Raja Ampat said that ecotourism is the way to develop tourism in Raja Ampat. This is because the ecosystem support in Raja Ampat is very vulnerable, thus not suitable for mass tourism. Also, the biodiversity in Raja Ampat must always be protected, its cultural diversity maintained, and lastly, ecotourism can promote the improvement of means of livelihood for people not directly involved in managing homestays.

"We created homestay because we want to manage our own land, sea, and natural riches. We do not want investors coming into Papua, giving away money to the people, then gaining control over our lands,” Kristian said in a special session of IDF 2019 with Econusa, entitled “Food and Land Use Governance in West Papua for Creating Jobs for Papuans”.

However, in developing ecotourism, Dr Keliopas Krey from the University of Papua said, “On the topic of access to ecotourism, Papua needs regional and international access. Access from overseas so that people can easily come to Papua."

West Papua Province is currently the only sustainable province that priorities the aspect of conservation in its development. This legality is enshrined in the Special Local Regulation (Perdasus) on Sustainable Development in West Papua Province, whose design was launched in 2018. Perdasus becomes fundamental in sustaining the ecosystem of West Papua’s lands, in which if combined with its neighbor, Papua Province, contributes 50% of the total biodiversity in Indonesia.

Hopefully, smart practices from these local governments in addressing challenges on opportunities for future work can spread to other local governments, to improve themselves to be better. Inspire, Imagine, Innovate, Initiate!