Jakarta DPRD to Strengthen Citizens' Aspirations
Jakarta’s DPRD continues to strengthen various development programmes implemented by the Jakarta Provincial Government to align with the needs and aspirations of the people. This is achieved through optimising the three main functions of legislation, budgeting, and oversight of local government policies.
Through these three functions, the DPRD ensures that every policy and development programme can address a range of public concerns, from improving public services and infrastructure development to strengthening social welfare.
The synergy between the legislature and the provincial government is expected to deliver programmes that are more targeted, effective, and provide tangible benefits for Jakarta residents.
One of the DPRD’s main current focuses is strengthening the follow-up to the people’s Pokok-Pokok Pikiran (Pokir), which forms a key input in discussions of the Pra-Rencana Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (Pra-RKPD) for 2027.
Chair of Commission A of the Jakarta DPRD, Inggard Joshua, said that members are committed to ensuring that all public aspirations conveyed to both the DPRD and the executive can be promptly acted upon in regional development programmes.
To realise this, he said an active role is required from mayors and the Assistant for Government Affairs of the Jakarta Provincial Secretariat who are part of the Tim Anggaran Pemerintah Daerah (TAPD) to bridge budget needs at the regional level.
He explained that when people ask mayors for accountability over various development programmes, budget support at the level of the sub-district office (suku dinas), district (kecamatan), and urban village (kelurahan) must be available for programme implementation to run optimally.
According to Inggard, the recurring problem is not inter-agency coordination but the constraints and uneven distribution of budgets.
Therefore, Commission A of the Jakarta DPRD is pushing for stronger budget allocations at the suku dinas, kecamatan, and kelurahan levels so that the public aspirations gathered through the members’ reses can be realised promptly.
He also hopes that the Jakarta Regional Financial Management Agency and the Jakarta Regional Development Planning Agency can allocate budgets proportionally in line with the needs and interests of the community.
Additionally, the role of the Jakarta Provincial Inspectorate is considered important in safeguarding budget use to avoid misallocation and to ensure every programme is truly targeted.
Meanwhile, the Assistant for Government Affairs at the Jakarta Provincial Secretariat, Sigit Wijatmoko, emphasised that harmonisation between proposals for regional agencies’ activities and the DPRD’s findings from reses or community reports is a crucial factor in the regional development planning process.
With this synchronisation, it is hoped that no priority programme is overlooked or fails to be allocated in the Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah (APBD), so development can proceed more optimally and in favour of the needs of the community.