Jakarta - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto appreciated the Association of Indonesian City Governments (APEKSI) which has facilitated the Heads of Regional Development Planning Agencies (Bappeda) to discuss strategic issues ahead of the leadership orientation or regional head retreat.
This was conveyed by Bima to the media crew after the APEKSI BAKTI Forum Meeting at the Sasana Bhakti Praja (SBP) Building, Ministry of Home Affairs Headquarters, Jakarta, Tuesday.
According to him, this forum is a strategic place to accommodate regional aspirations, especially the Heads of Bappeda. Through this meeting, the government can absorb various regional perspectives related to the budget which will later be discussed further in the orientation of regional heads.
"So, the retreat is what we want, not one-way, not from the center to the regions, not top-down. But there is also dialogue from the regional perspective. Well, now let's hear first [the voices from the regions], first, what are the guidelines," said Bima.
He added that various issues discussed in this forum will be material considerations in the orientation of regional heads. One of them is about mandatory spending or government spending that has been regulated by the Law (UU).
The involvement of Bappeda in the forum is because they are the ones who understand the technical and regulatory aspects and can identify the required budget efficiencies.
"I thank [the] Chairperson of APEKSI, the Mayor of Surabaya [who has] facilitated this, gathered friends from Bappeda, because they are the ones who know the technicalities, the regulations," he said.