West Kalimantan's Democracy Index highest in Kalimantan

Pontianak, West Kalimantan — West Kalimantan recorded the highest Indonesian Democracy Index (IDI) score on the island of Borneo for 2025, at 86.17, and also ranked fourth nationally. ‘This achievement shows that the quality of democracy in West Kalimantan is improving, from civil liberties and the political rights of the people to the performance of democratic institutions in the region,’ said West Kalimantan Governor Ria Norsan in Pontianak on Friday. She said the award was handed directly by Dr Sonny Harry B. Harmadi, Deputy Head of the National Statistics Agency (BPS) of the Republic of Indonesia, at the Kick-off of the National Evaluation of IDI Achievement for 2025 in Semarang on Thursday (21 May). Ria Norsan said the achievement is evidence that the democratic climate in West Kalimantan is conducive and public participation in democratic life continues to rise. ‘This proves that democracy in West Kalimantan is functioning well. Freedom of expression is safeguarded, elections are conducted safely, and spaces for public participation continue to be opened,’ she said. She assessed that a good democracy quality must be accompanied by improvements in human resources development and regional development. ‘One indicator of the IDI assessment relates to the Human Development Index (HDI). Human resources are crucial for the progress of the region,’ she said. Ria Norsan explained that West Kalimantan’s HDI has now risen to 72.09 and the regional government aims for it to continue rising to reach 75 in the coming years. According to her, improvements in education quality, openness of public information, and strengthening community participation will be important factors in maintaining the quality of democracy in West Kalimantan. The West Kalimantan provincial government, she continued, will continue to strengthen political education for the public, government transparency, and collaboration with the mass media and non-governmental organisations to sustain a peaceful and inclusive democracy. ‘Democracy quality must not only be high in numbers, but must also be truly felt by the people,’ she said. She emphasised that the award would motivate all stakeholders in West Kalimantan to continue nurturing healthy democracy towards Indonesia Emas 2045. National development Previously, the Deputy Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Lieutenant General (Ret) Lodewijk F. Paulus, said that the IDI evaluation is an important part of strengthening sustainable national development. The Indonesian Democracy Index is an official instrument used to measure the development and quality of democracy across all provinces in Indonesia. The assessment is conducted by the National Statistics Agency in cooperation with the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) and several other related agencies.