Retreats vital for guiding newly elected regional heads, says expert

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government should leverage the planned retreat for regional heads elected in last year’s local polls to broaden the insights of the new leaders, according to public administration expert Dede Sri Kartini.

“Such an approach is particularly important for regional heads who hold no prior knowledge of public administration,” she stated on Wednesday.

Kartini highlighted the importance of the government guiding regional heads to synchronize central and regional visions, ensuring that regional governments’ development plans align with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).

This synchronization has been mandated by Law No. 23 of 2014 concerning regional governments, she added.

“In short, a retreat could be instrumental in unifying perceptions,” she remarked.

She also suggested that the central government should use the planned retreat to clearly distinguish the limited authority of regional governments from the superior power of the central administration, thereby preventing policy overlaps.

Highlighting the importance of a well-functioning bureaucracy, Kartini urged the government to advise regional heads to value their aides’ opinions and avoid unnecessary or irrational reshuffling.

Expanding on her last suggestion, she emphasized the need for the government to call on regional leaders to avoid leveraging their positions to serve the interests of their political parties rather than addressing the needs of their constituents.

“(In summary), is a retreat beneficial for coordination and educational purposes? The answer is yes,” Kartini concluded.

On January 10, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra announced the government’s plan to organize a retreat for regional heads, emulating a similar retreat held for ministers at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, in October 2024.

“Coordination between the central and regional governments is necessary. The President (Prabowo Subianto) wants to bring together all regional heads as he did with ministers, deputy ministers, and national agency heads in Magelang to align perspectives,” he stated.

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