P3PD Training Helps These Village Heads Successfully Advance Their Villages

THE EDITOR – The Strengthening Village Governance and Development Programme (P3PD) training has brought a new leadership environment to village heads in Indonesia. Although not all have participated, examples of the success of this government programme are beginning to emerge.

The changing face of villages is evident as village heads in several parts of Indonesia have started to understand how to properly utilise the village budget for the prosperity of their communities.

The Editor has summarised some P3PD training success stories that are interesting to know. Here is the list.

1. P3PD Training Minimises Inter-Village Conflicts

Village boundaries are very important to avoid conflicts between residents who live close to other villages.

The Head of Lubuk Lawas Village, Batang Asam Sub-district, West Tanjung Jabung Regency, Jambi Province, Wiwin Ardiansyah managed to resolve the village boundary problems that had eluded him for years thanks to P3PD training.

“Our village is a new village. We went through a transition from the old village to the new one, and that automatically means that the village boundaries are not yet clear. Through the P3PD training, we know how to resolve it,” he said.

Wiwin admitted that he had found it very difficult to resolve the village boundary issue because of village customs that could not be overridden. It included ownership of the river that flows through Lubuk Lawas Village.

The P3PD training, he said, finally made him understand how to easily resolve customary issues in the village by using the coordinates issued by the Geospatial Information Institution (BIG).

With this coordinate system, he can also avoid conflicts when demarcating village boundaries. 

2. Digital Villages are Emerging from Sabang to Merauke

I Wayan Mudana, the Head of Kutuh Village, Bali, said that the P3PD training gave him the courage to implement a non-cash transaction system for Link Village Financial System (Siskeudes) integration services.

“Our apparatus is now able to create Accountability Letters (SPJ) and Payment Request Letters (SPP). So, there’s no need to bother the treasurer anymore. Both of them can be checked directly. The development made Kutuh Village become the first village in Indonesia to implement Siskeudes Link. We are already 100 per cent non-cash,” he said.

“We had known it before. But our understanding got more optimal after attending the training,” he continued.

A similar story comes from the far end of Sumatra Island, Aceh.

Ade Thermiara, Head of Bujang Village, Lut Tawar Sub-district, Central Aceh Regency, said he was very happy because he is now able to manage the village financial system after attending the P3PD training.

He said that, previously, he could only submit village development programmes through the village financial system (Siskeudes) at the end of the year.

Not only that, before attending the P3PD training, he found that not all the programmes he submitted were approved. As a result, he was rarely able to use the Village Fund budget because his policies were not considered strong enough to be approved by the regional government.

“We have the money in the account, but we can’t use it,” he said.

One of the things he learnt was how to submit an online-based SPP (payment request letter), which village officials have to master.

3. Rich Villages are In The Making

I Wayan Mudana, the Head of Kutuh Village, Bali, is now courageous to propose a new Village Regulation to attract levies for investors and tourism players in his famously beautiful area.

The natural wealth of Kutuh Village that attracts many foreign and local tourists is well known throughout the world. Among them are Pandawa Beach, Kutuh Village Waterfall, Gunung Payung Beach, Timbis Paragliding, Bukit Pandawa Golf and Country Club, Kongkongan Beach, Gunung Payung Cultural Park, and many more.

“We used to think that the village government does not collect anything. However, in the P3PD training, we were asked to immediately make Village Regulations which also regulate the levies,” he said

I Wayan said that the first time he learnt about the Village Regulation on Levies was during the P3PD training at the Hilton Hotel in 2023. 

There, he heard about the procedures for collecting levies in the village through official rules that are recognised by all community leaders. Village officials who came from Gianyar, Bali, were the speakers at that time.

He admitted that he is now quite relieved as the P3PD training makes him able to understand the rules of Village Levies that do not conflict with the law.

Not only that, he also admitted that he is now more creative in developing Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) in the form of Pertamina Shop (Pertashop) to serve tourists.

“Business developments that we can do involve third parties. Yesterday we opened Pertashop after attending the training (P3PD),” said I Wayan to The Editor not long ago.

Currently, he said, the BUMDes of Kutuh Village, which was established in 2016, is able to manage many businesses, such as the sale of goods and services, waste collection, and body care or SPA business.

I Wayan admitted that the P3PD training gave him a new mindset in developing the BUMDes named Manik Sedana further for the development of his village.