Aid in Action

Developing Local Leaders who Listen

 | Saturday, March 01, 2008

 

Hamidah sits on the floor in traditional Muslim attire and headscarf. She distributes a stack of colored paper to a group of village women sitting beside her and asks them to write down their priorities for the development of their village. Hamidah is a devoted Muslim and mother-of-three, and a civil activist and local legislative councilor.  She uses organizational and communicative skills she recently learned to develop the list of priorities, which will be forwarded to the municipal government for consideration. Later, she will say “Alhamdulillah (Praise God), this meeting really benefitted the women of our town because their concerns were taken seriously by the government.”

During Indonesia’s long authoritarian winter, there were few opportunities for the common people to get involved in deciding the fate of their communities. A pervasive and highly centralized state apparatus disconnected from ordinary people decided policy solely based on state priorities. There was distrust and broken relations. But the situation has changed radically since 1998, when people power ousted the ruling regime, and Indonesia embarked on the dual processes of democratization and decentralization, rebuilding trust and instituting democratic governance.

In the town of Mojokerto in East Java, a new partnership between civil society organizations (CSOs) and members of the local legislative council (DPRD) has been able to mend some of these broken relationships. Spearheaded by Hamidah, steps taken by the town council, local government and CSOs have enabled a partnership to emerge that provides a strong foundation for the future development of the town.

Hamidah and her colleagues are doing this with the support of USAID’s Local Governance Support Program (LGSP).  LGSP is an integrated set of assistance activities designed to support both sides of the good governance equation.  First, it supports local governments to become more democratic, more competent at the core task of governance, and more capable of supporting improved service delivery and management of resources. Second, it strengthens the capacity of local legislatures and civil society to perform their roles of legislative representation and oversight, and citizen participation in the decision-making process.

Hamidah was inspired by an LGSP training. “Before, I barely knew how to capture people’s aspirations. We would just make a long list of demands, not distinguishing between what we just wanted and what we actually needed. After the training, I now have the tools to do this,” she explained  She also participated in an LGSP-facilitated visit to Jepara, Central Java, to observe a town hall meeting with other civic activists.

To date, LGSP has arranged over 1,100 training courses and workshops for civil society activists in 76 jurisdictions in nine of Indonesia’s 33 provinces, facilitating new partnerships and improved governance structures. LGSP has supported the establishment of public interest and citizen action groups that have effectively engaged with local government agencies and DPRDs, developed training packages, and delivered core training in the field of budget analysis, advocacy skills and basic public services, positioning civil society organizations as legitimate and respected partners with government

In May 2008, Hamidah and the other civic activists were able to convince the head of the local planning agency (Bappeda) that the government should organize a town-hall meeting on small and medium-scale enterprises – a major concern in Mojokerto – ahead of the annual development planning forum (Musrenbang). More than 200 citizens attended, along with the mayor and other senior government officials. Many shopkeepers and home industry owners in the audience raised their concerns during this session. They urged the municipal government to pay more attention to small-scale enterprises. Djuhari Witjaksono, an entrepreneur who produces miniature ships said: “After almost 30 years working as a miniature craftsman, this was the first time that I was able to raise my business concerns directly with government officials.”

The mayor was satisfied with the concrete recommendations for improvements coming out of the town-hall meeting. In the past, NGOs had generally been seen as troublemakers, but he was delighted with this more constructive relationship that had emerged. He said that “the result of the town hall meeting is something the government takes seriously, especially in order to optimize the role of the public in developing local economic activities”.  Prominent civic leader Iwud Widiantoro of the Mojokerto Alliance of Public Activists agreed: “This kind of event should be held regularly. Only with this kind of public meeting can we talk honestly about our problems and let everyone know our situation”.

The benefits of the new leadership in Mojokerto have been tangible. Having never before had a seat at the policy table, citizens are now being asked for their input. Hamidah’s example has been followed by her fellow legislators, who now plan to establish a local council-civil society forum where reform-minded members of the local council can work with progressive civil society organizations to form alliances.

By being involved in policy dialogues, citizens are being empowered. Bringing small and micro business people into the debate and responding to their concerns can help generate employment and thereby address a prime source of poverty. Broad coalitions also improve the quality of planning decisions and the ownership of such decisions. Political reforms are easier to achieve when conducted in the spirit of partnership and dialogue between government and civil society.

Democracy is also good for local development. At the development planning forum, the civil society coalition organized by Hamidah was able to convince the local council to re-allocate funds for local economic development programs that earlier were earmarked for government staff.

Whether or not Hamidah is re-elected to the local council in upcoming elections, she has already put her mark on local democracy in Mojokerto. She and many of her peers around the country are applying their unique abilities as citizens to deliver what could not otherwise be managed or sustained for long by local government alone. With USAID assistance, vital relationships are being repaired, trust is created, and hope is renewed.