Brigpol Kamaludin's Dedication in NTB: Empowering Residents and Tackling Unemployment

A number of residents of Sermong Village, Taliwang District, West Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) have nominated Brigpol Kamaludin for the Hoegeng Awards 2026 for his efforts to tackle unemployment. The community police officer (Bhabinkamtibmas) has been encouraging villagers to take up farming and livestock rearing by providing free seedlings and animal stock.

One of the nominators, Wiwin Sulastri, said Brigpol Kamaludin cares deeply about the village residents. He provides starter capital in the form of seedlings for farming and animal breeding so that people can become self-sufficient.

“He has been distributing seedlings for a long time. If he sees someone wanting to raise livestock, he gives them breeding stock. If someone wants to plant, he gives them chilli, aubergine, and all sorts of vegetable seedlings,” Wiwit told detikcom on Thursday (12 February 2026).

Wiwit described Brigpol Kamaludin as a community officer who is present to provide solutions to village problems — chief among them, ensuring residents do not remain unemployed by encouraging them to farm and raise livestock.

“Many people have been invited to participate, and when crops grow large and are harvested, the seedlings multiply. Then friends are told to ask Pak Bhabin for more. He usually checks first — ‘Where will you keep them?’ — and if someone isn’t ready yet, he provides guidance,” Wiwit said.

The assistance provided by Brigpol Kamaludin, according to Wiwit, extends all the way to marketing the harvest. She said he also helps residents secure higher selling prices for their produce.

“It has a significant impact on the local economy, because the produce can be sold. When there are eggs, they are incubated, and when the chicks grow, they are sold. Sometimes the eggs themselves are sold. Sometimes he gives turmeric seedlings and helps sell the harvest at the market. The programme is still running,” she said.

Wiwit added that Brigpol Kamaludin is always present when residents need him, describing him as highly responsive to community issues.

“I see him as a very inspirational figure. Whenever there is a problem in the village, whenever he is called, he acts immediately,” she said.

Tackling Unemployment

Bambang Akbar is another nominator. He is one of the residents who was empowered to farm whilst also managing a chicken and duck operation.

“He helped me build a broiler chicken coop measuring approximately 15 by 8 metres. I didn’t have any land, so he partially funded the purchase of a plot — I got four ares of land. I then expanded further with his help into horticulture and vegetables,” Bambang told detikcom.

Bambang said that from those initial four ares, he now manages three hectares of land. The land is leased for growing rice, maize, and vegetables.

“I used to be unemployed. Now I can invite local residents to work on the new land — we can hire people and help others. There is economic circulation,” he said.

Bambang was also assisted in developing corn-cob mushroom cultivation. From the mushroom sales, he was able to purchase a motorcycle.

“I used to not even own a motorcycle. I was just unemployed — sitting around all day, sleeping, what people call a ‘rebahan’ lifestyle. But now, thanks to Pak Kamal, I have broiler chicken and duck businesses, plus horticulture, chilli, rice, and maize,” he said.

From his farmland, Bambang is able to employ eight to ten people during planting and harvest seasons. In livestock, Bambang was initially given chicken and duck breeding stock by Brigpol Kamaludin.

“For chickens, the scale is only around 1,100 birds, but we earn between Rp 8 million and Rp 13 million from that. For mushrooms, I earn Rp 300,000 per day. For horticulture and vegetables, it ranges from Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 per day. From the first mushroom earnings, I was able to buy a motorcycle — and I still have it to this day,” he said.

Now, hundreds of village residents are developing livestock and farming enterprises with Brigpol Kamaludin’s assistance. Farmers are mentored until they become self-sufficient and are supported in selling their harvests.

“Around my neighbourhood, 90 per cent of roughly 700 people have been given seedlings. Even the village head was given some — anyone willing gets them. I was just given another 500 plant seedlings, even though I can already buy my own,” he said.

Bambang added that Brigpol Kamaludin also cares about problems faced by residents, including helping those in financial difficulty.

“Pak Kamal is very caring. For instance, if there is a mediation here and there are compensation demands, if it’s within reach, Pak Kamal pays out of his own pocket. That’s how far he goes,” Bambang said.

Efforts to Boost Community Economy

Brigpol Kamaludin’s aim in distributing chicken, duck, and plant seedlings is to improve residents’ economic welfare. He provides all seedlings free of charge.

“I distribute plant seedlings, livestock breeding stock, and also support MSMEs — for example, residents who need capital to sell petrol by the bottle or sell snacks. My goal is to improve the community’s economy in the village,” he said.

Each month, Kamaludin distributes up to a thousand plant seedlings and hundreds of chicken and duck breeding stock. He adjusts the quantity according to each resident’s needs.

“It depends on the wishes and needs of the residents. If their stock dies but they still want to plant or raise livestock, I give them more. For those turning it into a business, I give larger quantities — like recently, I gave someone 500 plant seedlings,” he explained.

Brigpol Kamaludin was also a candidate for the Hoegeng Corner 2025. He said the farmer and livestock breeder mentoring programme has been running since 2021.

“I initially trialled it in 2021, giving two or three animals to residents who wanted to raise them. I saw the programme was working well and was sustainable, so that unemployed residents could essentially achieve prosperity,” Kamaludin said during the Hoegeng Corner 2025 programme.

Kamaludin does not want the programme to stall due to lack of adequate mentoring. He uses a different approach to ensure sustainability.

“I went all out once the National Police issued the food security directive, and I then targeted 100 animals per month. I don’t give tiny chicks — that has been the weakness of government programmes all along, giving one-day-old chicks. Out of 100 given, only a few survive,” he said.