Local Government of Bantaeng Held Workshop and Discussion on Regional Regulation Drafting

Local Government (LG) of Bantaeng held an event entitled Workshop and Focus Discussion, Regional Regulation Drafting on Citizen’s and Civic Organizations’s Involvement in the Services and Integrated Referral for Basic Services, Social Protection and Social Welfare from February 10 to February 11, 2017 in Baruga Latippa Hall, Marina Beach, Bantaeng district, South Sulawesi.

This activity aims to identify the regulatory framework for basic services and social protection and to develop local regulations and work plan for improvement of local regulations in Bantaeng. It was also expected that this activity can increase citizen’s and civic organizations’ involvement which could also help to shorten the process of services, complaints and referrals of the poor in social protection and other basic services.

Ahmad Karim, Functional Staff of Social Protection and Welfare, National Planning and Development Agency (Bappenas), Widya Setyanto, Coordinator of Local Government Support, National Secretariat of Service System and Integrated Referral (SLRT); two of MAMPU partners; ‘Aisyiyah and The Indonesian Women’s Coalition for Justice and Democracy (KPI) and representatives of lower local government bodies (SKPD) were also among the attendees.

H. Sahabuddin, The chairman of the Regional People’s Representatives Assembly (DPRD) of Bantaeng gave the opening speech. He said that all parties should work together in improving public welfare.

“In this case, all related parties should seriously think about ways to improve the social welfare so that we could eradicate poverty,” said Sahabuddin.

This event highlighted functions of Service System and Integrated Referral (SLRT) in national development. The SLRT program aims to help in identifying the needs of poor and vulnerable communities in a participatory manner, as well as improving accesses to relevant programs which can meet these communities’ needs.

The SLRT program involves MAMPU and a Strong and Prosperous Indonesian Society Program (MAHKOTA). The program will increase women’s access to social protection program which comprises 4 things: integration of information, data and services; identification of complaints; referrals and complaints handling; registration of participants and documentation of program’s needs as well as dynamic data update of beneficiaries.

Several conclusions were drawn from this event; a series of strong policies and regulatory framework is needed, as well as active participation of all parties to overcome a slowdown in poverty reduction. Efficient program expansion and program consolidation to ensure responsive and complementary services are also needed. It is also important to provide monitoring and evaluation mechanism to measure progress and accountability of a whole program.

A Follow up Action (RTL) was formed as a continuation of the event. It began by forming a team to conduct and oversee the regulation draft. The team will work on preparing regional regulatory framework; reviewing legal documents; conducting a workshop on local regulation draft; holding public hearing in Regional Regulation Agency (Bapperda); setting out public trials  and comparative studies as well as consulting to related ministries.

As part of the two-day event, Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) gave a wheelchair to Kurnia, a resident of Papanloe village, Pajukukang district with social welfare problems (PMKS).