To encourage awareness in enhancing public information disclosure in rural areas, Universitas Gadjah Mada held a Public Information and Documentation Management Officer (PPID) training.
This training was for village officials in Sleman Regency and Yogyakarta City on Wednesday (May 21), at the Multimedia Room, UGM Central Office.
In collaboration with the Central Information Commission (KIP RI), the Assistance Kick-Off event invited several officials and institutional representatives from the sub-district/village level in Sleman and Yogyakarta City.
University Secretary, Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, stated that this initiative was driven by UGM’s desire to contribute to the development of PPID officials at the village level while also building networks.
“We want to build our awareness to protect information. Of course, building networks is not easy, so we organized this event to get closer to the local government,” Dr. Tonralipu revealed.
Empowerment at the village level is one of the government’s agendas to strengthen the economy and eradicate poverty.
Realizing this agenda cannot be separated from strengthening village officials and institutions, one of which is by reforming the public information disclosure system.
Based on KIP data, in 2025, only about 39% of public bodies fall into the informative category.
This assessment is based on minimal criteria for PPID’s fulfillment of responsibilities under KIP Law Number 14 of 2008.
The low percentage of informative public bodies certainly raises questions about the implementation of the KIP Law after 17 years of its enactment.
Head of the Public Information Dispute Resolution Division, KIP RI, Syawaludin, stated that information disclosure is not only a form of information dissemination to the public.
It also enhances institutional accountability and public services.
“For public bodies, the KIP Law provides both obligations and authority. Meanwhile, for the public, this law guarantees the need for information, especially now,” Syawaludin explained.
Syawaludin cited the case of information disclosure in India. As a fellow developing country, India has experienced much faster economic growth compared to Indonesia.
The implementation of information disclosure to the public encourages innovation and increases public contribution to national development.
Information disclosure also significantly influences a country’s economic openness, where the development of vital sectors and foreign investment will play a role.
Furthermore, Erniati, Head of the Yogyakarta Regional Information Commission (KID DIY), explained the importance of technical understanding for PPID.
Often, information management is thought to require large capital and resources.
However, civilly, the obligation of local officials to form PPID is stipulated in Regional Regulation Number 4 of 2021 and Information Commission Regulation Number 1 of 2018 concerning Village Public Information Service Standards.
Both contain the basics of providing information for village officials along with their guidelines.
“The existence of this PPID system can also protect institutions. If there is a request for certain information, but it falls into the exempted information category, then there is a legal basis for it,” Erniati explained.
The PPID Training for Village Officials by UGM is expected to provide an understanding to officials at the village level about the importance of information management.
One of the training participants, Yuniko Ali Shodiqin, from Sumberadi Village, Sleman Regency, felt that this type of training needs to be enhanced.
“With this workshop, we now know what needs to be considered in managing information in the village,” Shodiqin said.
In addition to Shodiqin, Nisa Kamala from Danurejan District, Yogyakarta City, admitted that the PPID training was helpful.
According to Kamala, understanding information management is crucial for discerning what information must be disclosed and what can be exempted.
“We understand better now, because the community’s need for information will be even greater in the future. So I think this is very helpful for us as public bodies at the village level,” Kamala concluded.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie Trisfian