West Java's 81st Anniversary: KDM Targets Basic Needs Fulfilment and Leaner Bureaucracy
The 81st Anniversary of West Java Province was commemorated on Wednesday evening at Pasanggrahan Pancarasa, on the grounds of Gedung Sate in Bandung. The event began with a plenary session led by West Java DPRD Speaker Buky Wibawa Karya Guna, followed by a reading of the province’s history and concluded with a speech by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi.
In his address, Dedi Mulyadi said that at 81 years of age, West Java should by now have reached the peak of its success.
“Because we possess all the potential—energy potential, agricultural potential, marine potential, geothermal potential, hydroelectric power potential, solar power potential, as well as industrial and manufacturing potential spread across the entire West Java Province,” he said on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
However, this potential remains unevenly distributed and there are development distortions between regencies and cities, as well as with the province. For this reason, there needs to be an orchestration of development direction and budget use led by the governor and deputy governor.
“Budget evaluation is the key to orchestrating development. Administrative budgets have now shifted to being technical in nature, prioritising the fulfilment of basic needs first,” said the man familiarly known as KDM.
According to KDM, the basic need of education—where the average length of schooling must be improved—requires attention because the nine-year basic education participation rate is not yet optimal. The addition of new classrooms and scholarships are priority programmes. Not only primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary schools, but also Package A, B, and C education programmes are receiving attention.
KDM also highlighted the economic disparity between regencies and cities in West Java. Bekasi, with its high wages, is vastly different from areas such as Majalengka, Kuningan, and Indramayu. On the other hand, the standard of living for the public is set the same.
“Urban residents pay rent, buy rice, buy food, so their income is large. In Kuningan or Majalengka, people do not buy rice because they harvest their own, they do not buy vegetables, they do not buy water, so a low income level is not a benchmark. But this is a challenge for all of us: West Java’s highest investment must have implications for the availability and filling of jobs throughout West Java Province,” he said.
Improving the quality of public health is also a basic service aspect that is a primary focus. There must be no difference in health services from the first referral level in villages to the second and even third referral levels.
KDM also targets budget efficiency by streamlining institutions. The number of people working as West Java Provincial Government personnel must truly be based on the needs of basic public services. The number of positions will be streamlined, as will the number of regional apparatus organisations (OPD).
“Some will remain, some will change from two to one, possibly some will change from three to one. This is the answer to the principles of efficient financial management. Because we are talking about efficiency, we are talking about reallocation. If the number of positions is very large, it will still affect fiscal strength,” said KDM.
Efficiency in regional-owned enterprises (BUMD) will also be carried out. There will no longer be large numbers of directors and commissioners. BUMDs are expected to make a major contribution to supporting government activities in providing strong public services to the community, contributing to economic growth, increasing competitiveness, and also serving as government assets.
These BUMDs will be merged into a single holding company, BUMD Sanggabuana, and will be managed by professionals in their fields through an open selection process.
“For this reason, at the age of 81, allow me to make fundamental changes to build professionalism and a government posture that has a bias towards the community, has a grand vision for the community’s prosperity, and is also efficient and gradually resolves the problems of community life openly,” said KDM.