Every public agency must guarantee the accessibility of public information. The Public Information Disclosure Law has required this since 2008, although it is still not universally implemented or understood by all institutions.
“Because villages are the closest public institution to the community. Villages are currently the spearhead for solving various problems,” said Principal Information and Documentation Management Officer at UGM, Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, on Tuesday (18/7) during the opening of the National Webinar on Village Public Information Services.
According to him, Indonesian society can survive and endure the COVID-19 pandemic due to the significant role of villages, and the handling by the state supported by villages all over Indonesia is appreciated worldwide.
“During the pandemic, villages had a bigger role. They were no longer dependent on supra-village governments,” Dr. Tonralipu said.
He conveyed that villages currently have a higher level of autonomy. However, with the support of funding and legal guarantees, the information provided by village officials to the community should be even more extensive.
“If we walk around in villages nowadays, we will find quite a number of billboards displaying village budgets. This indicates progress in Public Information Disclosure. However, it should not only be about showcasing; it’s about how the decisions made by the village can be understood and followed by the villagers,” he explained.
Deputy Chair of the Central Information Commission of Indonesia, Dr. Arya Sandhiyudha, explained the three types of information that must be provided in accordance with Public Information Disclosure: information that must be provided and announced periodically, information that is delivered immediately, and information that must be available at all times.
“I believe that information related to developments, such as ongoing human resources recruitment, needs to be provided periodically,” he said.
This also applies to public bodies that manage public funds through the regional budget (APBD), such as the Village Fund. The village governments are obliged to announce this information periodically, including the procurement of goods and services.
“These must be periodically announced because they involve public funds, and anything that involves public funds gives the public the right to access information,” he explained.
Author: Agung Nugroho