Governor Mahyeldi Insists Regional Issues Must Be Resolved to the Root
West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah has stressed that resolving regional issues cannot be achieved through temporary measures or mere field enforcement alone. According to him, every problem must be addressed down to its root cause through a comprehensive and collaborative approach.
The assertion was made during a dialogue with activists at Sreca Coffee Eatery in Padang on Saturday (14/6). The event served as an open discussion space between the regional government and activists to address various strategic issues developing within the community.
In the forum, several issues became shared concerns, ranging from the distribution and supervision of subsidised fuel oil (BBM), the handling of illegal gold mining (PETI), the education sector, to strengthening social resilience based on family, community, and nagari.
Responding to the issue of illegal mining, Mahyeldi emphasised the importance of viewing the problem holistically. He stated that illegal mining activities cannot be resolved merely by enforcement at the site, but must target the factors that support the continuation of such activities.
“If we want to solve a problem, we must not only look at the issue at its outlet. We must go to the source of the problem. Regarding illegal mining activities, one of the control points is the distribution of fuel and supervision at petrol stations,” Mahyeldi said.
He explained that traditional panning activities need to be distinguished from mining practices that use heavy equipment because they have different environmental impacts. Therefore, policies must consider social, economic, and environmental sustainability aspects in a balanced manner.
According to Mahyeldi, supervision of fuel distribution is a key instrument to suppress illegal mining activities that use heavy equipment. For this reason, the regional government continues to encourage strengthened supervision together with law enforcement officials and all relevant stakeholders.
“If the supply can be properly controlled, then downstream activities will also decrease. So we are solving not just the symptoms, but the source of the problem,” he said.
In the education sector, Mahyeldi affirmed the provincial government’s commitment to continuously improving the quality of education services in stages. He assessed that current educational challenges require the support of all elements of society and cannot rely entirely on the government’s budget capacity.
“What we are pushing for is for schools to be able to improve the quality of education services. Because educational needs continue to grow and require support from all parties,” he said.
As a form of support for improving education quality, the West Sumatra Provincial Government is preparing to strengthen regulations regarding the role of school committees so that community participation can proceed in a more orderly, transparent, and accountable manner. At the same time, the government is also continuing to expand access to education through the development of boarding schools and distance learning, particularly for areas with limited access.
“The principle is that no child should lose access to education simply because of location or limited facilities,” Mahyeldi asserted.
Beyond discussing education and the environment, the dialogue also highlighted the importance of strengthening community social resilience. According to Mahyeldi, various social challenges must be faced by strengthening the roles of families, communities, educational institutions, and nagari institutions while still prioritising applicable rules and legal corridors.
“We want to strengthen the role of nagari and community dialogue spaces so that social problems can be resolved closer to the community and handled more quickly,” he said.
At the end of the discussion, Mahyeldi stressed that development in West Sumatra must go hand in hand with efforts to maintain social harmony, strengthen unity, and expand collaboration among all elements of society.
“What we want to build is a West Sumatra that is progressive, yet maintains unity, mutual respect, and opens spaces for collaboration for everyone,” Mahyeldi concluded.