Govt to Raise Village Fund Budget
President Jokowi attends the National Village Administrators Gathering, at the Indoor Tennis Stadium of Gelora Bung Karno (GBK), Jakarta, Wednesday (10/4). (Photo by: PR/Jay)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ensured the village budget raise for development purpose.
“I have strong connection with village as I born in the village, but that is not the only reason. To develop village is to develop Indonesia,” said the President at the National Village Administrators Gathering at Indoor Tennis Stadium of Gelora Bung Karno, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (10/4).
President Jokowi went on saying that Indonesia has 74,900 villages. “It is not a small number. Basically, a village is like a small country. So, all of you are the presidents of the villages,” he said.
According to him, a village administrator handles the villagers matters with non-stop working hours. “So, it is necessary to raise the village budget each year. In 2015, the Government disbursed Rp20 trillion of village funds and the figures keep raising to Rp47 trillion and Rp60 trillion in the following years. In 2019, the budget reaches Rp70 trillion,” the President explained.
He added that the village funds must be spend carefully, such as to build infrastructures because it is vital for mobility of people and goods.
President Jokowi further said that there are two keys to village development: First, a leader who masters advanced and innovative governance; Second, the quality of human resources.
The focus of village development in the next few years will shift from building infrastructure to supporting local economy and innovation. According to him, creating an ear-catching brand, logo and packaging is a few ways to improve the competitiveness of local products. With strong branding, a product can enter global marketplace. That is what we will do in the future, President Jokowi said. (FID/EN)
Translated by : Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Edited by : Estu Widyamurti, Mia Medyana Bonaedy
