TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Every village needs to have accurate data about itself. This is because accurate data plays an important role in governance and development planning so that it is more focused, effective, and efficient.
In a press statement, the Directorate General of Village Governance (Dirjen Bina Pemerintahan Desa) at the Ministry of Home Affairs stressed the importance of using data. The statement was made directly by the Director General, Eko Prasetyanto Purnomo Putro, and Acting Governor of East Kalimantan (Kaltim) Akmal Malik, during the opening of village officials training, in East Kalimantan, Tuesday, 10 October 2023.
This event is part of the Strengthening Village Governance and Development Program (P3PD), a collaboration between the Indonesian Government and the World Bank.
Eko reminded village officials not to plan development without data, especially using numbers that are made up behind the desk.
"A domino effect will occur, like snowballs, small becomes big. So do the villages, this will also be the case if you make up numbers," he said.
Eko also mentioned that data is very important for village financial management. Without real data, village financial management will not be optimal, resulting in poor-quality spending.
"One village is different from the other, don't follow one another. Neighboring villages may build bridges, it doesn’t mean we should build bridges, neighbors build a road, it doesn’t mean we should build a road, when in fact, those are not our needs," he explained.#
Regarding data on villages, Eko said his institution already has a Village Profile (Prodeskel or Profil Desa dan Kelurahan) application that is always updated. Therefore, he invited all village officials to fill in Prodeskel with accurate data.
"From Sabang to Merauke, let’s compete to build real data. This is our chance. Not everyone can become the chief of a village… But for those who are elected, this is an opportunity," he said.
Meanwhile, Akmal Malik emphasized that the key to developing villages is consistency or sustainability. One of which is by providing integrated data.
The importance of integrated data for Indonesia is regulated in Presidential Regulation No. 39/2019 on the One Data Indonesia Policy. "Every system must have one data set. Does the village have one data set that can apply for sub-districts, districts, provinces, and Indonesia?" he asked.
He also added that during the 78 years of independence, Indonesia never had one single integrated data. Data to date is still fragmented. "We always fuss about data and how it makes a lot of things ineffective and inefficient," he said.
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