Iqbal Reveals 3 NTB Government Strategies to Improve Regional Financial Governance

The Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara (Pemprov NTB) is continuing to improve regional financial governance to make it more transparent and accountable. NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal stressed that the government’s current focus is on overhauling the system comprehensively, rather than merely chasing index achievements. This was conveyed by Iqbal during the Validation of the Regional Financial Management Index (IPKD) Measurement Results by the Domestic Policy Strategy Agency (BSKDN) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, held online from the NTB Governor’s Office on Friday (19/6/2026). “Our main focus is fixing the system. It is better to take a little more time, but with increasingly better governance, more accountable results, a broad impact on the community, and without repeating the same mistakes continuously,” said Iqbal. To smooth the path towards this target, Iqbal detailed three main strategies currently being implemented by the NTB government. The first is improving the system and governance. The second is increasing the efficiency of bureaucratic administration. “Lastly, we are strengthening Regional Own-Source Revenue (PAD) for fiscal independence,” he asserted. One of the strategies undertaken, Iqbal noted, is restructuring the bureaucracy of regional apparatus organisations. The trimming of the previously bloated number of OPDs from 44 agencies to 36 is considered more effective. Conversely, functional positions are being strengthened so that the bureaucracy moves more adaptively, with a lean structure but rich in function. Not only that, asset management is also being tightened. “The NTB government is now preparing 30 functional asset appraisal officers and honing the competence of apparatus in the supervisory field,” he said. This step is taken so that regional asset data becomes more accurate and to minimise leakages. These reform efforts are gradually beginning to yield positive results. According to Iqbal, based on real data, the IPKD score for NTB Province has soared consistently in recent years. The upward trend saw NTB’s IPKD score reach 58.30 in 2021 and 73.11 in 2024. “Seeing this positive trend, the NTB government is optimistic that the IPKD score in 2026 will jump even higher,” he said. Despite receiving a positive report, the evaluation team from BSKDN at the Ministry of Home Affairs still provided several constructive notes for NTB. Some aspects requested to be strengthened include fiscal flexibility, expenditure structure, fulfilment of mandatory spending, and the tidiness of supporting documents. Iqbal expressed gratitude and said he would use it as material for a total evaluation. For him, this IPKD validation is a momentum to ensure that the people’s money returns to the people. “This validation is not merely an assessment process, but a momentum to ensure that every rupiah managed by the government provides the greatest possible benefit to the community,” he concluded.