Deputy Interior Minister Urges Local Governments to Leverage National Strategic Programmes
Deputy Interior Minister (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto has urged local governments (Pemda) to leverage national strategic programmes as catalysts for regional economic growth.
This was stated during his attendance at the Deliberation on Development Planning (Musrenbang) for the Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD) of Jambi Province at the Jambi Governor’s Official Residence on Wednesday (15/4). The event carried the theme of accelerating investment productivity and downstreaming to promote inclusive, sustainable, and competitive economic growth.
Bima stated that national strategic programmes should not be viewed as a burden for the regions. On the contrary, these programmes need to be optimised to deliver tangible impacts on the economy and public welfare.
“National strategic programmes are levers for progress in the regions, provided that regional heads take the initiative, monitor, and seize opportunities,” said Bima.
He explained that the central government is currently pushing various cross-sectoral priority programmes, from basic services to economic strengthening. These programmes, he continued, have the potential to generate multiplier effects if managed optimally by local governments.
Bima reminded that global geopolitical dynamics need to be addressed as opportunities for transformation. He emphasised that local governments must be able to shift to more effective and adaptive working patterns to capture opportunities amid global uncertainties.
“This is where the quality of regional leadership is tested, whether they can see opportunities or feel burdened instead,” he said.
Furthermore, Bima highlighted Jambi’s economic potential, including the plantation sector such as coconuts, which he assessed as having significant opportunities for development through downstreaming and value addition.
He hopes that with solidarity and optimisation of its potentials, Jambi Province can serve as an example for other regions in implementing national priority programmes as drivers of regional progress.