YOGYAKARTA- Implementation of regional autonomy, as stipulated in Law No.22 Year 1999 on Regional Government, faces various challenges for local governments. The challenges include how regional governments manage human resources as a source of success in regional autonomy. High quality human resources have a significant influence on the success of regional and national development.
"Efforts to improve the quality of human resources include local community empowerment which is expected to become the initiator and the player for the creation of qualified and reliable products," said the Regent of Bantul, Hj Sri Suryawidati, speaking in a public lecture for Information and Communication of Development Study Program, Friday(8/10) at UGM Graduate School.
Other speakers include Secretary of Bantul Regency Government, Drs Gendut Sudarto Kd, B. Sc, MMA, Head of Culture and Tourism Board of Bantul, Drs Suyoto MSi, and Chief of BKK PP and FP (National Family Welfare, Family Empowerment and Family Planning) of Bantul, Drs. Joko Sulasno Nimpuno. The event was hosted by Prof. Dr. Ir. Sunarru Samsi Hariadi, M.S, Chairman of Doctoral and Master’s Program of Information and Communication of Development UGM.
Sri Suryawidati added that increasing quality of human resources is the most important, the essence of the programs and activities undertaken in Bantul. In this context, the sectors of education, health, agriculture, small industry and handicrafts, as well as traditional market development become priority. The program is expected to contribute significantly towards poverty alleviation.
"Therefore, validation data of poor families, reducing the burden of poor families, and empowerment of poor families are the strategic steps we take," said the wife of former Regent, Idham Samawi.
Meanwhile, Gendut Sudarto said that to be able to solve the problem of poverty in Bantul, good program coordination between central, provincial and local levels has been done. Unfortunately, Gendut acknowledged that there are still some issues in poverty reduction, such as incomplete data or unwillingness to provide the correct information among agencies.
"Sometimes there is the unwillingness to provide the correct information among agencies that causes data discrepancy on the number of poor people between central and regional or between agencies. That is a problem in the field as well," Gendut added.
He said the number of poor people in Bantul still reaches above 47 thousand people. As a tangible form of community empowerment, especially for poor people, a coordination team has been formed. Besides as a facilitator and coordinator for the program, local governments also provide a stimulus by giving rewards for those who succeed to alleviate rural poverty.
Likewise, Joko Nimpuno explained that they also provide stimulus programs for poor people empowerment. He pointed out a loan assistance program for poor families amounting 1 million rupiah each year.
"They need to add 5% of service when they return the money. Services will be returned to them through the group," Joko said.