Appreciation for Outstanding Local Governments 2026: Tempo CEO: Kalimantan is an Important Part of Indonesia

Kalimantan region is now the focus of the Appreciation for Outstanding Local Governments 2026 event. This area, according to Tempo Media Group’s CEO, Arif Zulkifli, is no longer merely viewed as a region with vast resource potential but has become an important part of Indonesia’s centre. This has been achieved through the role of local governments that can read the situation and take relevant policies according to public needs. According to him, the measure of development success has now shifted. The main indicator is no longer just the number of programmes launched, but how far those policies are truly felt directly by the community. “This is reflected in the region’s ability to maintain price stability through inflation control, open up employment opportunities, and succeed in reducing poverty and stunting rates,” said the man often called Azul at the Appreciation for Outstanding Local Governments 2026 event. Besides macro achievements, this event also appreciates innovations in government management, such as the implementation of entrepreneur government concepts and creative financing. This forum, he said, aims to appreciate the long process behind every regional success in facing non-simple challenges. “These achievements do not stand alone; there is always an adaptation process behind them that is important for the public to know,” he said. Therefore, Azul continued, the media has an important role as a bridge of information to convey regional development progress to the wider public. The Ministry of Home Affairs or Kemendagri is holding the Appreciation for Outstanding Local Governments 2026. In its implementation, this competition is not held uniformly; Kemendagri chooses a regional approach. The event is divided into several waves, covering Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java-Bali, Sulawesi, Maluku-Nusa Tenggara, and Papua regions. On 25 April 2026, the appreciation for the Sumatra region was held in Palembang, South Sumatra. Now, it is Kalimantan’s turn to hold the same event at Platinum Hotel & Convention Hall in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. A total of 24 local governments will receive appreciation in Borneo. For the Unemployment Reduction category, there will be one province, three regencies, and two cities receiving appreciation. The same applies to the Poverty Alleviation and Stunting Reduction categories, Creative Financing/Entrepreneur Government, and Inflation Control. Meanwhile, provinces, regencies, and cities will receive fiscal incentives of Rp 3 billion for first place, Rp 2 billion for second place, and Rp 1 billion for third place.