Deputy Home Affairs Minister identifies five challenges for regional heads

Deputy Home Affairs Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto has identified five main challenges currently facing regional heads, which he considers more demanding than those of previous periods. “There are leaders who feel they are living in a heavier time than their predecessors, but in truth, every era has the same challenges,” he said during the national conference of the Association of Indonesian Provincial Governments in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday. Bima outlined the five challenges, which include the impact of global geopolitics, the requirement to implement national priority programmes, fulfilling political promises, social media pressure, and the risk of becoming entangled in legal issues. According to him, the current dynamics of global geopolitics are affecting the process of regional governance across Indonesia. Various developments in the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz continue to be a concern for regional heads because they have the potential to impact economic conditions, energy, and inflation. “Never in history have regional heads paid attention to the Strait of Hormuz like now, following the news live. Sometimes they are happy because it looks like things are cooling down, then suddenly there is noise again, like a couple dating, on and off, on and off,” said Bima. The second challenge is the obligation of regional heads to oversee various priority policies of the central government so that they run effectively in the regions. This situation has never occurred before because regional heads must ensure that various national programmes, such as the Red and White Village Cooperatives, Free Nutritious Meals, and the Red and White Fishermen’s Village, are implemented properly. On the other hand, regional heads are also required to fulfil political promises to constituents that were commitments made during the campaign. Bima said this situation constitutes the third challenge, which must be balanced with the implementation of the national agenda. The fourth challenge is the media algorithm, which is always watching and greatly influences public perception of regional heads’ performance. Media algorithms often make an event go viral unexpectedly, even creating negative perceptions despite no substantive error. “Not only when you are wrong, even when you are right, you can be made to look wrong by today’s media algorithms,” Bima said. The fifth challenge facing regional heads today is the potential for legal problems that can ensnare them at any time. Bima reminded regional heads to exercise good and careful governance to avoid falling into legal traps. Law enforcement activities are continuously carried out by anti-corruption agencies in Indonesia, namely the Corruption Eradication Commission, the Criminal Investigation Agency of the National Police, and the Attorney General’s Office. “Navigating these five challenges today is not easy at all, and we truly feel the inner atmosphere of the regional heads. That is why regional heads must gather and share frequently,” he said.