Muhaimin: Community Empowerment Must Be Mainstream in National Development

Community empowerment must become the mainstream approach in development. Social assistance remains important, but must be accompanied by capacity-building efforts to enable communities to become self-reliant and productive.

Jakarta — Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar has stated that community empowerment must be the mainstream approach in Indonesia’s national development paradigm.

“Community empowerment must become the mainstream approach in development. Social assistance remains important, but must be accompanied by capacity-building efforts so that communities can become self-reliant and productive,” said Muhaimin Iskandar in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Muhaimin Iskandar explained that the establishment of the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment represents part of efforts to deliver a more tangible state role in strengthening disadvantaged groups and those lacking adequate access to development opportunities.

According to him, the empowerment paradigm represents an important approach to ensure that development not only drives economic growth but also brings greater equity and opportunities for communities.

As a concrete step, the government is currently driving various programmes encompassed within eight community empowerment pathways as a strategy to strengthen community economic and social self-reliance.

He also emphasised the importance of cross-ministerial synergy, involving institutions and regional governments, in implementing community empowerment programmes, given the broad scope of programmes and target groups to be reached.

Furthermore, Muhaimin urged all divisions of the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment to be more active in building public communication regarding community empowerment concepts and practices, including through publications and discourse across various media.

The Coordinating Minister added that community empowerment efforts also form an important part of accelerating poverty reduction in Indonesia.

The government is targeting a significant decline in poverty rates over the coming years through various programmes focused on education, economic access, and community capacity-building.

“We have a great responsibility to ensure that community empowerment programmes truly have an impact and are felt by the wider community,” said Muhaimin Iskandar.