North Tapanuli Residents Push for Public Hearing to Be a Problem-Solving Forum

The North Tapanuli Regional Representative Council (DPRD) in North Sumatra held at least nine hearing sessions (RDP) and working meetings between January and May 2026. Residents are urging these forums to function not merely as spaces for expressing aspirations, but as practical tools for resolving various public problems.

Various agendas were discussed during these sessions, ranging from drinking water services and the distribution of subsidised fertiliser to the implementation of Regional Public Service Agencies (BLUD) in community health centres, the handling of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), and land issues regarding the construction of the Siborongborong Bypass Road.

Additionally, several personnel issues have drawn attention, including the contract extensions for Government Employees with Work Agreements (PPPK) within the North Tapanuli Health Office. An anonymous PPPK employee stated that the DPRD hearings helped provide clarity regarding the challenges they faced, noting that the sessions helped secure the certainty needed for their contract renewals.

Regarding this matter, the Chairman of Commission A of the North Tapanuli DPRD, Poltak Sipahutar, previously stated that the council would schedule a summons for the Regional Civil Service and Human Resources Development Agency (BKPSDM) to seek an explanation regarding discrepancies in PPPK contract periods.

Vano Hutabarat, a resident of North Tapanuli, believes that the hearing sessions provide a vital space for the community to convey complaints and aspirations to the government through the DPRD. He noted that the volume of issues brought to the council could serve as essential material for local government evaluation.

Similarly, resident Rustia Pasaribu remarked that the hearing sessions are a crucial mechanism in local governance as they allow the public to obtain explanations from relevant parties. He emphasised that the priority should be ensuring that every emerging issue is followed up and resolved effectively.

Meanwhile, the Vice Regent of North Tapanuli, Deni Parlindungan Lumbantorbuan, responded via WhatsApp in early June 2026, stating that the local government would first coordinate with the relevant regional apparatus organisations (OPD) regarding the PPPK issue, asking for patience while coordination is underway.