Following up on the results of the Policy Discussion previously held by Article 33 Indonesia together with the KEMENKO PMK on last 31 January, the Policy Discussion session 2 with the main discussion finalized the draft “Guidelines for Strengthening the Role of Subdistricts in Priority Locations in Border Areas” held on April 28, 2020. This time the policy discussion was also led by Mr. Wijanarko Setiawan as the Deputy Assistant for Strategic and Special Empowerment of the KEMENKO PMK and was attended by most of the Deputies and Sectors of the KEMENKO PMK.
Unlike the first policy discussion, the discussion this time conducted online because of the current conditions do not allow for conducting face-to-face. In general, the topic of the discussion carried out in this Policy Discussion is (1) Brief delivery of the final results of the study of Strengthening the Role of Subdistricts in the Lokpri Border Area; (2) Finalization of the draft Guide that has accommodated inputs from Policy Discussion 1 and several Policy Discussions at the regional level; (3) A brief discussion of the economic conditions in the study location at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some important notes on the results of the Policy Discussion that have been carried out are as follows:
- The participants in general and the speaker specifically stated that the results of the final study on the development of the role of the District in the Border Area greatly helped the policymakers to see the real conditions regarding the need for an increase in the role of the District in terms of coordination and synchronization in order to accelerate the reduction of regional isolation and improve welfare especially the Sub-District in the border.
- Although the draft Guidelines do not specifically provide new regulations on how the Camat and Kecamatan carry out their duties, the contents in the Guidelines are able to contribute in providing direction to the Camat and Kecamatan to increase their role so that they can release their regions from isolation and improve more massive welfare.
- Regarding the current conditions in the two study sites, through direct contact with the Camat and BNPD, the two regions considered that their economy had been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Regarding the current conditions in the two study sites, through direct contact with the Camat and BNPD, the two regions considered that their economy had been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. As is the case in Serdang Bedagai District, North Sumatra Province, they stated that currently, only a few fishermen are still at sea so economic activity is severely reduced. From the North Central Timor District (Timor Tengah Utara/TTU) which shares a direct border with Timor Leste, they stated that Timor Leste closed their border lane with TTU. In addition, trading activity in the market also dropped dramatically.
