West Java Regional Secretary Urges Economic Assistants to Transform via Data-Driven Work
The West Java Provincial Regional Secretary, Herman Suryatmuan, has urged all Economic and Development Assistants (Ekbang) across West Java’s regencies and cities to strengthen their roles as drivers of economic development in their respective regions.
Rather than merely performing administrative duties, Economic Assistants are requested to work more substantively, rapidly, measurably, and based on data. This message was delivered by Herman while presiding over the Coordination Meeting of Economic and Development Assistants for West Java at the Papandayan Meeting Room, Gedung Sate, Bandung, on Monday afternoon.
According to Herman, the development of West Java cannot be carried out partially or with a fragmented mindset between the provincial government and regencies/cities. West Java is an aggregation of 27 regencies and cities; therefore, the province’s progress is highly dependent on the performance of each region.
“West Java is an aggregate. If villages and sub-districts are exceptional, they will produce exceptional sub-districts. Exceptional sub-districts produce exceptional regencies and cities. Exceptional regencies and cities will result in an exceptional province,” said Herman.
Consequently, he emphasised the importance of synergy between the provincial government, regencies/cities, sub-districts, and villages. Furthermore, the Governor holds a position as both the regional head and the representative of the central government in the region.
“We cannot think in silos or believe the province can be great without great regencies and cities. Everything is interconnected,” he stated.
Herman specifically highlighted the strategic importance of Economic Assistants in assisting regional heads to formulate and coordinate economic development policies.
He cited several economic indicators that require attention, ranging from community consumption, investment, and trade to government expenditure. “If the regional economy is poor, the implications include low investment, low exports and imports, and low community consumption. Therefore, Economic Assistants are among those responsible,” he said.
On this occasion, Herman also encouraged a transformation in bureaucratic work patterns. In his view, governance should not stop at political processes and administrative management, but must advance to the ‘administering process’ stage—ensuring that policies are translated into effective government services and actions.
He emphasised that changes in political leadership must not halt government operations. The system of governance must remain functional, and public services must continue to move forward.
“What we need is systemic governance. Governments change, but the show must go on. The government must remain effective,” he said.
Herman then introduced the strengthening of data-based governance as part of the transformation currently being undertaken by the West Java Provincial Government. One of the promoted instruments is ‘Satu Data Jawa Barat’ (SADA Jabar), which is expected to support regency and city governments in understanding regional conditions and determining more precise interventions.
According to Herman, utilising the SADA Jabar platform is vital so that development data does not merely remain as statistics, but serves as a basis for decision-making at every level of government.
“This data must be a tool for action. We must not only know the numbers but also know where the problems lie and who needs to be addressed,” he remarked.
This approach is further strengthened through the use of ‘by name, by address’ data. With this approach, issues such as poverty, out-of-school children, chronic energy malnutrition in pregnant women, stunting, and other social problems can be mapped more specifically down to the regional level.
“When discussing poverty, we have ‘by name, by address’ data. When discussing out-of-school children, we have the data. When discussing pregnant women with chronic energy malnutrition, we have the data. Therefore, sub-district heads can simply open a dashboard to know the numbers, the individuals, and the locations,” explained Herman.
He noted that SADA Jabar can serve as a supporting tool for regency and city governments, down to the sub-district and village levels. With integrated data, regional heads and their officials can view issues based on region, sector, and target groups requiring intervention.
“West Java Province is like an orchestra. There is a conductor, and there are leaders of instrument groups. Everyone must play the same score, so that leadership remains strong while the system also functions,” said Herman.
Therefore, the West Java Provincial Government, in alignment with this vision, is preparing governance tools in the form of ‘arrangements’ and ‘scores’ that can be utilised down to the regional level. These instruments are expected to ensure that policies do not stop at leadership directives but are translated into measurable actions down to the village and sub-district levels.