Home Affairs Minister Tito Urges Regions to Compete in Showcasing Performance through 2026 Outstanding Regions Appreciation

Home Affairs Minister (Mendagri) Muhammad Tito Karnavian is pushing for a competitive climate among local governments to accelerate improvements in performance and innovation. This encouragement was conveyed by Tito at the 2026 Outstanding Regions Appreciation event organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) in the Ballroom of Wyndham Opi Hotel, Palembang, South Sumatra, on Saturday (25/4/2026). According to Tito, as a country with numerous local governments (pemda) in diverse conditions, efforts to drive performance improvements are no simple matter. He stated that achievements among regions to date still show varied results, thus requiring continuous impetus through healthy competition. He assessed that healthy competition among regions is important for building a performance culture while fostering innovation in governance. The 2026 Outstanding Regions Appreciation event, he added, can serve as a strategic instrument to encourage local governments, particularly in the Sumatra region, to continuously enhance their achievements. Tito also emphasised the importance of publicity space for positive pemda achievements. Amid information openness, regional successes need adequate coverage so that the public gains a more balanced picture. “Therefore, there needs to be exposure; there must be reporting. If something good is not reported, people won’t know,” he said. At the event, Kemendagri established four main assessment categories: reduction in unemployment rates, tackling poverty and stunting, inflation control, and creative financing. In the unemployment reduction category, South Solok Regency took first place, followed by Mentawai Islands as second, and Dairi as third. For city level, Pagar Alam became first, followed by Tanjung Balai and Dumai. Meanwhile, Bengkulu received the award at the provincial level. For the poverty and stunting tackling category, Mesuji Regency took first, followed by South Tapanuli and Bengkalis. At the city level, Sungai Penuh became first, followed by Pekanbaru and Batam. At the provincial level, the award went to Riau Islands. In the creative financing category, Bintan Regency emerged as first, followed by South Lampung and Batu Bara. For city level, Bandar Lampung took first, followed by Medan and Palembang. Meanwhile, at the provincial level, the award was given to North Sumatra. As a form of appreciation, the government provides fiscal incentives to the winners. Third place receives Rp1 billion, second place gets Rp2 billion, while first place and provincial winners receive Rp3 billion. Kemendagri stated that the implementation of the Outstanding Regions Appreciation event in Palembang serves as the opener for similar agendas in 2026. In the future, the activity is planned to be expanded to the other five regions in Indonesia. This step is expected not only to strengthen the performance and innovation culture in the regions but also to become part of a sustainable strategy to improve the quality of national governance.