- 12/04/2016
- Category: Commentaries
The enactment of Act No. 6 of 2014 on the village brings good news for villages in Indonesia. With the existence of these laws, the village no longer only be the object of development, but also as a subject that plays a role in planning and managing the construction of village finances, so they can improve their public services. Law of Village provides space and access to the village to manage the resources they have, not depend on the institution or supra-village board.
Law of Village assigns the government to develop a system of data and information easily accessible to the public. Budget and monitor of village development programs are planned to be implemented with the online system. The online system aims to facilitate people to control the government, especially the use of the budget in the village.
As one of the pilot project of public services program through the online system, Banyuwangi contributes. Government of Banyuwangi have 500 villages in Indonesia who get the Village Fund Allocation from the central government. Under the Act, the Village Fund Allocation is not directly disbursed to villages but managed administratively by the district/city, in this case the Government of Banyuwangi. Therefore, the Government of Banyuwangi creates e-village system, which designed for two purposes. Among the objectives of budgeting is referred to as e-Village Budgeting (e-VB) and the objectives of supervision is called e-Village Monitoring (e-VM).
e-Village Budgeting (e-VB) is a village financial system such as Financial Management Information System as in the district/city, but it applies to the village scale and connect directly with the District Development Planning Agency (Bappekab). e-VB consists of three parts, namely planning, governance, and evaluation. The e-Village Monitoring (e-VM) function to oversee the village development program, both physical and non-physical programs. e-VM is carried out by the district head, Camat, by means of judicial field. Camat will take pictures of some stages of program implementation. Furthermore, the image will be uploaded on the google map. This will facilitate the public to know the progress about a program in the village. The system is implemented in 2015 and coordinated by the Community Empowerment Board and Village Government (BPM-PD) and the District Development Planning Agency (Bappekab).
Actually, the concept of e-village is not a new thing for the citizens of Banyuwangi. Since 2010, the Government of Banyuwangi has initiative to create a Digital Society. Provision of 1500 free wifi point, to organize internet marketing training for youth. Banyuwangi won 1st place Digital Society, which is supported by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics. Banyuwangi economy increases thank to the efficiency that technology ccreate. As a pilot project e-village, Banyuwangi can be declared a success.
Back again, e-village policies rely on local government initiatives. Policies must rely on the conditions of each area. For example, currently there are three areas into the implementation of e-village, West Nusa Tenggara, West Kalimantan and Bangka Belitung.[1] But the desire to realize the e-village in West Kalimantan are not in accordance with the availability of BTS, or transmitter tower, across the border in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and North Kalimantan. Problems are always about the geographical scope of vast area of Indonesia and telecommunications infrastructure problem that has not yet reached the whole region. Then, the capacity can not be separated between the gap rural areas and big cities. The matter of affordability also highlights of inequality Internet rates in the West and East.[2] These are obstacles for the implementation of equalization e-village in Indonesia.
Indonesia takes a big step in E-village program. The awareness from government of the importance of information and communication technology to develop in the region, which is carried out with the elaboration of the Ministry of Villages, Underdeveloped Regions and Transmigration, Ministry of Communication and Informatics, and private sector is a matter that should be appreciated. Thus, there are still many things to be improve and repair in running this program.
[1] A. P. Dewi, ‘’Desa Online’, Mudahkan Warga Desa Dalam Layanan Pertanahan’, Antara Sumbar, 21 August 2015, <http://www.antarasumbar.com/berita/155531/desa-online-mudahkan-warga-desa-dalam-layanan-pertanahan.html>, accessed 11 April 2016.
[2] H. N. Fajrina, ‘Tiga Tantangan Utama Pemerataan Internet di Indonesia’, CNN Indonesia, 25 September 2015, < http://www.cnnindonesia.com/teknologi/20150925141413-213-80931/tiga-tantangan-utama-pemerataan-internet-di-indonesia/>, accessed 11 April 2016.
