Kulon Progo – Idea Yogyakarta together with the Kulon Progo Regency Government and the Kulon Progo Communication and Information Service and supported by the Ford Foundation launched the Bela Beli Kulon Progo Public Accountability Forum (FAP), Wednesday (25/04). The forum, which was held in the Adikarta Hall, Kulon Progo Regency Government complex, was attended directly by 87 villages spread throughout the Kulon Progo district.
According to the head of the Kulon Progo Communication and Information Service, Rudiyanto, this FAP is to ensure that public services can perform optimally from planning to accountability. According to him, the Regency Government has currently initiated the realization of open government. As a form of seriousness, the Kulon Progo Regency Government has currently submitted a Letter of Interest to the Open Government Partnership.
"The public's perspective on the government regarding transparency and public service information is quite broad. To balance the demands for openness of poverty, education, and health data, the district government has currently submitted a letter of intent, the Kulon Progo regional government's open government initiative has entered the international arena," said Rudi when delivering his report.
Meanwhile, Sunarja, as the director of IDEA, said that IDEA's role in FAP was initially to encourage the Kulon Progo government to realize accountable governance. However, the encouragement was welcomed by the Kulon Progo district government by jointly creating FAP.
Also read: Kulon Progo Regent Welcomes Public Accountability Forum Initiative
As is known, this FAP started from the initiative of the Kulon Progo Regency Government and IDEA Yogyakarta. FAP Kulon Progo Regency started its movement on April 5, 2018. The initiative involved two villages, namely Bumirejo Village and Sendangsari Village. Both are examples of public accountability at the village level by utilizing information technology. Bumirejo Village already has initial capital as the only village in DIY that has an Information and Documentation Management Officer (PPID), while Sendangsari Village is a representative of Kulon Progo Regency at the national level for the Village Information System assessment.
Currently, both villages utilize the LAPOR application as a public service complaint channel. In the past, if residents wanted to convey criticism and suggestions, they had to use letters which were then put into the suggestion box. Today with information technology, complaints can be submitted to LAPOR via SMS, website, and android application. In addition, to encourage the community to participate in the budgeting cycle, Bumirejo Village and Sendangsari Village agreed to form a Public Accountability Forum (FAP) at the village level.
The forums were formed on April 12, 2018 in Sendangsari Village and April 13, 2018 in Bumirejo Village. The Public Accountability Forum is a multi-stakeholder forum at the district and village levels that ensures that public services perform optimally from planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and accountability. As a follow-up to the formation of the FAP, each village has elected a collective forum leader consisting of elements of village officials, youth organizations, integrated health post cadres, BPD, and Disabled Persons Organizations.
Also read: Two Villages in Kulon Progo Will Pioneer Public Accountability Villages
With the FAP, Sunarja continued, services in the district/village can be better. Technically, it can be done by using SID. Moreover, the information system can be connected to people's mobile phones (gadgets).
"Ladies and gentlemen, through your smartphones, you can provide feedback on services from the village government, so that you can provide improved village government services, and of course to improve and optimize better services," said Sunarja.
The main role of FAP sustainability, said Sunarja, is in the hands of the district and village. IDEA, according to him, with all the limitations of resources will accompany.
"Hopefully the enthusiasm from the district and village is big enough, so that other villages can follow what Bumirejo and Sendang Sari have done," he hoped.
The launching of FAP attracted quite a lot of attention from the participants, most of whom were village and sub-district officials. Even several villages and sub-districts openly said that they strongly support FAP.
Purwono, for example, a sub-district official representing Girimulyo sub-district, appreciates the FAP initiative. He admitted that his sub-district has begun implementing community participation in monitoring government performance.
"I strongly support and agree with this report. In our sub-district we have implemented it, there have been 2 residents who have used it. The report is useful for us," he said.
According to the head of Girimulyo sub-district, the obstacle faced in his sub-district is that there are still villages that have difficulty accessing the internet network. So, he admitted, it is quite inhibiting for the community in using this complaint channel. In the future,
"Hopefully the district government can provide support to these areas with no network," he hoped.
Appreciation related to public accountability with the reporting channel also came from Aspiyah, the head of Pengasih sub-district. According to her, village services in her sub-district are now using an online system.
"They can take care of their ID cards online, it is being initiated by the village governments. The network in Pengasih is relatively smooth, there are no blank sport areas, because it is close to the city. The network development is extraordinary, we support and are grateful if the report can reach the village," said Aspiyah.
Aspiyah also hopes that village governments in her sub-district can use the Village Budget to apply the complaint channel. This is to prove the seriousness of the villages in her sub-district in realizing public accountability.
"We urge the village government to utilize ABPDES. In the sub-district, of course, human resources are needed because there is a lack of manpower. We can maximize the types of contract workers by using the existing village budget," he said.
In the future, according to Aspiyah, Kominfo will not only develop networks, but also provide assistance.
"We support the results of the launch and FAP. This is our joint movement, just need to formulate efforts for continuous assistance. Hopefully Kulon Progo can become one of the open governments," he concluded.
Contributor: AH, GPB
Editor: AH
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