Kepri Governor Appoints Misni as Province's First Female Secretary

Tanjungpinang (ANTARA) - Riau Islands (Kepri) Governor Ansar Ahmad appointed Misni as the definitive Secretary of the Provincial Government (Sekda) of Kepri, simultaneously making history as the first woman to occupy the province’s highest structural position. “This is the first female Sekda throughout the history of the establishment of Kepri Province,” said Governor Ansar after the appointment ceremony at the Regional Building in Tanjungpinang City on Monday. Ansar conveyed his commitment to gradually increasing women’s involvement in strategic positions within the Kepri Provincial Government environment. He targeted around 30% of heads of regional device organisations (OPD) to be filled by women, while currently it only reaches about 19%. The appointment of Kepri’s Sekda was based on the Presidential Decree on the approval of the appointment of the Middle High Leadership Position of the Provincial Secretary dated 22 April 2026. The Governor invited all OPD ranks within the Kepri Provincial Government to provide full support to the Sekda in carrying out its main duties and functions. “The Sekda is tasked with coordinating all programmes, policies, and government activities,” he stated. Ansar also advised Sekda Misni to improve bureaucratic quality through strengthening the capacity of civil servants (ASN), including discipline and performance, so that every programme can produce optimal outcomes. He expressed optimism about Misni’s ability to carry out these tasks, given her experience holding several strategic positions, including Head of the Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control, and Family Planning Agency (DP3AP2KB) of Kepri and Head of Bappeda Kepri. “She received much appreciation from the centre during her tenure as OPD head. That became one of our notes and considerations,” said Ansar. Meanwhile, Kepri Sekda Misni stated her readiness to support the regional head in realising the regional development vision and mission as outlined in the Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (RPJMD). She also committed to strengthening coordination and communication with all OPDs, the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), and the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) in Kepri to ensure the wheels of government run effectively. “Our task in the near future is to prepare the Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD) for the 2027 fiscal year,” said Misni.