By: Dwi Cahya Alfarizi )*
The Regional Head Retreat held at the Magelang Military Academy (Akmil) is a strategic step in creating government synergy and eliminating political egos that often hinder coordination between regions.
This program is designed to improve leadership capacity and strengthen the competence of regional heads in running effective and efficient government. With this activity, regional heads not only gain new insights but also build closer relationships with fellow regional leaders.
The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Bima Arya Sugiarto, emphasized that the Ministry of Home Affairs has a responsibility to build better regional leadership. The retreat aims to ensure that regional heads understand their roles optimally so that they are able to implement policies appropriately.
Various learning materials are provided by experts, covering the main tasks of regional heads, the Asta Cita concept, and cross-ministerial work programs related to regional government.
In addition, strengthening relationships between regional heads is also an important part of this agenda. The chemistry and emotional bonding that is established during the retreat is expected to improve synergy and coordination in the future.
During the retreat, regional heads not only studied various leadership theories but also participated in policy simulations that allowed them to understand the real challenges in running a government.
This approach provides a deeper picture of strategies that can be implemented in their respective regions. In addition, they also get the opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices in dealing with problems in their regions.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, emphasized that discipline is a major factor in regional leadership. The culture of discipline applied at Akmil, such as punctuality and cleanliness, is considered relevant to be applied in government bureaucracy.
The lack of coordination between regional heads is still a problem in several regions. In several regions, governors, regents, and mayors rarely hold regular coordination meetings, so that the policies implemented often run independently without harmonization with national programs. The Minister of Home Affairs highlighted the importance of good communication between regional heads so that development programs can run more effectively.
Better coordination is also considered to be able to create sustainable governance, especially after the simultaneous regional elections that gave birth to new leaders in various regions of Indonesia.
With the synergy between the central and regional governments, it is hoped that the government can run more stably and not be hampered by differences in political interests. This retreat provides an opportunity for regional heads to get to know each other, build closer cooperation, and utilize discussion forums to discuss various challenges in their respective regions.
A socio-political observer from Djuanda University Bogor, Goris Seran, assessed that the unity of movement and steps between regions is crucial, especially for regions with large areas and populations such as Bogor.
The main problems in the region still revolve around the education and urban planning sectors. Regional heads need to have the same perspective in developing the region, without getting caught up in sectoral egos that only benefit one party.
Bogor as part of the Jabodetabek agglomeration also has a close relationship with central government policies. With directions that will likely be under the coordination of the Vice President, it is hoped that each regional head will be able to adapt to national policies without neglecting local needs.
A uniform development pattern is believed to be able to attract more investment, especially in the property sector and other supporting facilities. Thus, community welfare can be better guaranteed through adequate infrastructure and integrated policies.
More than just a training event, this regional head retreat is also a reflection space for regional leaders to evaluate their leadership so far. In the discussion, they were invited to be more open to criticism and suggestions, so that they could make improvements in governance. With the increasing challenges faced by regional heads, the ability to adapt and synergize with other parties is becoming increasingly important.
This regional head retreat momentum must be utilized as well as possible to create a government that not only serves the people efficiently, but is also able to build strong collaboration across regions.
Effective policy alignment and communication will be key to realizing sustainable development and preventing regional heads from political interests that can hinder growth.
his/her region.
This retreat is expected to provide real impact in strengthening governance and ensuring the sustainability of development programs that are in line with the interests of the wider community. () ) The author is a contributor to the Persada Institute
