In order to materialize an evenly distributed development and people prosperity, the local government of Asmat district held Musyawarah Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (Musrenbangda), a consultation meeting on regional development planning for Asmat distrik in 2010. Even, the regent of Asmat district who is Yuvensius A. Biakai, BA, has submitted his Dokumen Pelaksanaan Anggaran (DPA), a document on budget implementation in the meeting for Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), a local government task force.

The regent of Baikai district said that Musrenbangda is a local development management process and held annually. It is held using buttom-up planning approach to accommodate development issues, while at the same time it represent a forum to formulate development programs through village level Musrenbang, which is then accommodated and coordinated through Musrenbangda of district, province  and national levels. It is expected that the Musrenbang will result in a more inspiring implementation of development programs, i.e., considering the real needs of local people and making a synergy with the top-down development planning of both province and central governments.

“The mechanism should be operated annually and continuously refined. However, a question emerges in our mind as we evaluate the implementation of the planning mechanism of the development programs up to the present whether the development has resulted in a significant advancement and change to improve the living standard and the prosperity of our people,” he said. Have priority sectors touched their functional targets that they can drive secondary sectors? Which breakthrough and strategic plan is necessary to further developed to accelerate the elimination of the existing backwardness and underdevelopment of our people?

“Did we have valid and accurate data and information about the problem facing us to back-up the development planning for more accountable and directed development plan? It is a primary problem in addition to the accompanying ones in the areas of planning, controlling, and evaluation and so on,” he said in a press release about his opening speech in Kantor Redaksi Centrawasih Pos, an editorial office of local newspaper on Thursday (26/3). It is our moral responsibility to face the challenge of implementing the Act No. 21 of 2001 on special autonomy, the Act No. 32 of 2004 and the Act No. 25 of 2004 on national development planning system.”

“For the aforementioned reasons he hoped that all of the planning concepts must be seriously discussed, consulted and coordinated in the Musrenbangda 2009 and inspired by moral responsibility. All of the participants of the consultation meeting must be aware of the moral responsibility and spend the precious time in the meeting not for exhausting debate that results in a list of wishes that are based on their respective ego. Also, there should not be an impression that the Musrenbang is only a formal mechanism that is ignorant of the real needs of the peoples,” he said.

“We develop Asmat as we eat porridge in a dinner plate. We begin to eat it from its outer edge and not from its center. It is also the case of our people. We have to begin the development of our people and start from our outer villages and not from the cities. We agree and are resolved on doing any possible effort to implement an integrated development program with mutual support of the existing sectors and sub-sectors of the program. It is from here that a well-formulated and well-integrated local development program will result. It is also the case of its financing aspects,” he continued.

According to him such development model will surely result in an evenly distributed development and the people will directly enjoy the results of the development programs that ultimately motivate them to continuously fight for the improvement of their living standard and prosperity.

He further said, “One of the primary problems facing Asmat district is the reformation of all government levels, including the shortening of control mechanism and closer public service to people, especially those in remote and insulated areas. The problem is how to relate the macro-sectoral and micro-spatial programs to the objective potentials of Asmat district and to create inter-regional, inter-city, inter-district and inter-village accessibilities in the effort to open production centers and to accelerate the economic development of our people.

“Before we proceeds with the discussion of our development program, it is necessary for me to remind you of and to emphasize the government priority as proclaimed by our governor some times ago, which is food and nutrition (food security), health, education and economic empowerment of our people, infrastructure and direct aid for our people. Concerning to the priority the program topics that must be given serious attention in the Musrenbang should be referred to the existing strategic plan of each of the Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), local government task forces and consider the local potentials and conditions. The important program topics in 2010 include economic, social, cultural, educational, health, youth and sport areas in addition to human resources development and people housing development, civil servant housing development, and the empowerment of districts and villages.

The compiling of the development data, student dormitory, women empowerment, nutrition enhancement, working skills training for employee, education and training for government apparatus, village government empowerment, people security and order enhancement, health care service aid for those needy, scholarship for the students facing financial problem, study assignment in the areas of government, law, international affairs, tourism, engineering, agriculture, local art and culture aid and nursing and midwifery infrastructure program.

Subsequently, there must be well-formulated and well-integrated program in the areas of physical development, including fresh water supply for both urban and rural areas, district harbors, airports, ground communication and transportation rehabilitation, the enhancement of the capacity and the service of the power plant Agats, the procurement of ships for inter-district water transportation, and the development of new cities.

“As the planner and the implementer we have to be continuously aware of the ongoing developments. We have to organize an evaluation of the development programs by considering the urgent requirements of the people,” the regent said. Concerning with the submission of the Dokumen Pelaksanaan Anggaran (DPA), the document on budget implementation, the regent put the emphasis on the budget of the local government of Asmat district of the fiscal year 2009, which was IDR 715,808,810,330 with the details of the spending for the Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), the local government task force of IDR 680,808,810,330 and the surplus/the deposit of IDR 35 billions. He emphasized that the Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), the local government task force must accomplish their responsibilities as established in the local budget of 2009.

Also, he stated that it was obligatory for the Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), the local government task force to conduct internal supervision and control of the implementation of the developmental programs that were financed using Dana Alokasi Umum (DAU), Dana Alokasi Khusus (DAK) and otsus. Additionally, the task force must report to the Minister of Finance, the governor and the regent with the copies for Inspectorate, Bappeda (an agency for regional development), Badan Pengendalian Pembangunan (BPP) or development controlling agency and the Setda of Asmat district.

The Bappeda and the BPP were required to regularly conduct desk monitoring of all of the Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), the local government task forces and to evaluate the activities based on the local budget of 2009 and to report to the regent through the local secretariat. Following the Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 13 of 2008 on the guideline in preparing of the local budget of 2009, it was expected that the task forces have the programs that were financed by the Dana Alokasi Umum (DAK), the general allocation fund and the programs must be in completion at the end of 2009 and they could not be continued in the next budget. Also, the otsus fund must be spent for the predetermined purpose.

“The implementation of both physical and non-physical programs must be in the period of time as stipulated in a contract and supported by valid administration proofs as stated in the existing laws and regulations,” he continued. The committee chairman of the Musrenbang of Asmat district, Mateus Ginuny, S.H. said, “The materials of the Musrenbangda represent initial proposals of development programs in 2010 by the Satuan Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (SKPD), the local government task force, the district, the educational institutions, the religious institutions and non-government organizations, consisting of economic, social and cultural areas of the physical infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the results of the discussion in the consultation meeting were 902 formulated and agreed programs/activities using the total fund of IDR 1,986,319,000,000, consisting of IDR 439,869,000,000 for 226 economic programs/activities, IDR 834,700,000,000 for 569 social and cultural programs/activities, and IDR 711,750,000,000 for 107 physical and infrastructural programs. Note: The Musrenbang was held on March 18-19^th, 2009 in Asmat (nls) as quoted from: