Government development programs have failed to create prosperity in regions due to poor governance and subpar quality of human resources in local governments,a study says.
The study, conducted jointly by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Germany-based Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has found that the government is on track to achieving its 2010-2014 National Mid Term Development Plan (RPJMN), however, different understandings among regional leaders on how to implement the plan has hampered regions from achieving equal prosperity.
The study concluded that growth remained centered in Java and that poverty remained high in villages all across the archipelago, where 52 percent of the country's 240 million inhabitants reside.
Astia Dendi, research team leader, earlier this week cited a lack of knowledge and technology transfer from the central government to local administrations as a perennial challenge that had slowed down development projects.
Other challenges include poor human resources, infrastructure and low per capita income.
Research team member Budi Raharjo further cited "different political promises" between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his officials in the regions as another challenge that hampered the way for an "integrated implementation of the national development plans".
"All government officials, including the President, promote development agendas but there has yet to be synergy on how to carry out the programs," he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a discussion on the preliminary findings of the study at Bappenas headquarters in Jakarta on Monday.
The ongoing study, which started last year, used six provinces as samples: Central Java, Bangka Belitung, East Kalimantan, Gorontalo, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
Despite human development index improvements in these regions, as well as the majority areas in Indonesia, the study has revealed that Central Java achieved the highest quality of education and health as it implemented best governance.
"Meanwhile, good governance remains a huge challenge in NTT, the province where education and health remain relatively poor," researcher Robby Sirait said.
Robby said that based on the study, the government would unlikely achieve its target to reduce the national poverty rate to between 8 and 10 percent from last year's 11.66 percent by 2014, unless both central and local governments joined hands to equally improve governance, human resources, infrastructure as well as competitiveness in country's regions.
He further suggested that the government recognize emerging regions, such as North Sumatra, which, despite the Java-centered development achievement, has shown significant growth that contributed 5.95 percent to national growth by 2011
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