Village Technical Guidance Budget for 2026 Under Scrutiny

The use of Village Funds to finance a Technical Guidance (Bimtek) programme for village heads and officials across North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, is drawing scrutiny. In addition to participant complaints regarding facilities and training materials, the transparency of the activity’s budget allocation is also being questioned. The Bimtek, which took place in Medan from 28 June to 1 July 2026, was attended by around 228 villages. Based on information gathered, each village sent two participants, namely the village head and one village official, at a cost of Rp5 million per participant sourced from the 2026 Village Fund Allocation (ADD). With that number of participants, the budget used for the Bimtek is estimated at over Rp2 billion. The size of the budget necessitates openness regarding the cost components, from accommodation, consumption, resource persons, and training materials to other organisational expenses. A number of participants admitted that the facilities received did not match expectations or the information in the activity proposal. One participant, who requested anonymity, said the proposal stated participants would stay at the Fave Hotel Medan. However, in practice, participants were placed at the Kanaya Hotel and Griya Hotel Medan. ‘We hope there will be an explanation regarding the use of the budget. At a cost of Rp5 million per person, we feel the facilities received are not commensurate. The modules distributed are also suspected of using old material because they still list the name of Bintan Regency,’ he said. Until this news was published, the head of the Lembaga Diklat Teknologi Putra Bangsa, M. Andhika R, as the activity organiser, had not responded despite being contacted via WhatsApp message. The Acting Head of the North Tapanuli Regency Community and Village Empowerment Service (PMD), Tumbur Hutasoit, confirmed the Bimtek took place. He explained that the activity was planned through the village mechanism and was not implemented by the PMD Service. According to him, the appointment of the organising body was carried out through a mechanism facilitated by the village heads’ organisation. Nonetheless, the PMD Service continues to carry out its supervisory and guidance function over the activity’s implementation. ‘If indeed in its implementation the institution is incompetent and unprofessional, we will certainly evaluate it. In the future, such an institution will not be used again,’ Tumbur stressed on Friday (10/7). He also explained that Medan was chosen as the Bimtek location because North Tapanuli Regency does not yet have training facilities capable of accommodating all participants in one activity. Meanwhile, the Chairman of APDESI Merah Putih North Tapanuli Regency, Obbi Hutabarat, was asked for confirmation regarding the objectives of the Bimtek, the basis for appointing the organiser, the budget amount, funding sources, training materials, evaluation mechanisms, and accountability for the use of Village Funds. However, until this news was published, he had not provided a response. The use of Village Funds to enhance the capacity of village officials is fundamentally permitted under applicable regulations. However, given the substantial budget involved, transparency in the planning, implementation, and accountability of the activity is an important part of village financial management accountability. Such transparency is also necessary so that the public can ascertain the extent to which the budget used provides commensurate benefits for improving the capacity of village officials.