Interior Ministry Advocates Joint Indicators to Accelerate Economic Growth
The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Interior Affairs (Kemendagri), Tomsi Tohir, has stressed the importance of developing joint indicators to drive economic growth. This initiative aims to reduce poverty and unemployment rates whilst strengthening local government governance.
Tohir conveyed this emphasis whilst delivering remarks at a Coordination Meeting (Rakor) on Poverty Reduction, Unemployment, Sustainable Environmental Management (ASRI), and Strengthening Governance Implementation. Through this coordination meeting, Tohir hopes to build a shared commitment across ministries and agencies to present data-driven, measurable, and sustainable policies. This approach is believed to make efforts to reduce poverty and unemployment rates more effective and have tangible benefits for society.
He explained that the initial step required is ensuring the availability of baseline data in every district and city. Thereafter, all stakeholders must align their understanding of the indicators to be used before proceeding with further discussions, similar to the routine mechanisms for controlling inflation.
“Our perception must be aligned before we attempt to unravel the problem,” he stated in a written statement on Saturday, 28 February 2026. The forum was held at the Sasana Bhakti Praja Building (SBP), the Central Office of Kemendagri, Jakarta, on Friday, 27 February.
Tohir proposed that coordination meetings related to economic growth, poverty, and unemployment be conducted regularly, at least once per month. This would allow developments in each region to be measured and consistently evaluated over time.
“Hopefully this afternoon’s meeting will bring blessings, and we can maintain consistency with monthly coordination meetings, similar to inflation management,” he affirmed.
During the meeting, Tohir also hoped for full support from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in providing and strengthening data. He specifically requested contributions from the BPS to ensure that the data used is truly accurate and accountable.
“Of course, regarding this data, we request the support of the Deputy Head of BPS, who can certainly contribute substantially to these data efforts,” he said.
Tohir expressed appreciation for the attendance of participants and hoped the meeting would serve as a productive discussion forum.
“This afternoon, we hope that while waiting for breaking the fast, there are matters we might share together,” he said.
The coordination meeting was attended by Deputy Head of BPS Sonny Harry Budiutomo Harmadi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) Robben Rico, Inspector-General (Irjen) of Kemendagri Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, and Head of the Centre for Data and Information Systems of Kemendagri Muhamad Valiandra.