NEWSLETTER
2013 YEAR END EDITION
In this edition:
Nov. - Dec. 2013 Highlights
ProRep in Numbers 2013
What’s Coming in Jan. 2014
2013 Highlights
Elementary school students in Indramayu, West Java working on a school assignment. According to YSKK’s access-to-information assessment, approximately 87% of 222 schools assessed refused to provide the information requested on how BOS funding was being spent in their schools. In the provinces of East Java and Jakarta, 100% of the schools rejected the requests for information and claimed that they were unaware of or unsure whether the Law on Open Access to Public Information (OAPI) applied to the BOS.
“The community must be encouraged to take part in monitoring the implementation of government programs including BOS funds. We need to empower the community by educating them on how to access the information and what to do when there is an indication of misused and/or mismanaged funds by the schools.” Suroto, Director of Yayasan Satu Karsa Karya (YSKK)
In an effort to provide quality education for Indonesian children, the Government of Indonesia launched the School Operational Fund (BOS) program in 2006, providing funds to schools to ease the financial burden on students and parents. Each school manages its BOS funds independently. Yayasan Satu Karsa Karya or YSKK – a local NGO based in Solo, Central Java – is advocating for a more transparent school budgeting process, and is seeking to ensure that Law No. 14/2008 on Open Access to Public Information (OAPI) is applied to BOS funds. Through a grant from USAID, YSKK initiated a community-based monitoring system for BOS funds to ensure that they are spent wisely and according to the educational needs of the students. Joining forces with 21 other CSOs, the education advocates began the assessment in October 2013 by determining if information on BOS funds is accessible in 222 schools in 21 districts and cities in eight provinces; Central Java, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Lampung, Aceh, and Banten. Facilitated by Febri Hendri of the Indonesian Corruption Watch and Hendrik Rosdinar, a public
This newsletter is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) The contents of this newsletter are the sole responsibility of Chemonics International and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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Educating Communities and Schools on Transparency and Public Information— cont. service and public information advocate at YAPPIKA, YSKK presented the assessment results during a Focus Group Discussion and press conference from December 7 to 8, 2013. Several stakeholders, including the media, Member of Parliament Rinto Subekti (Commission X on Education, Youth Affairs, Sports, Tourism, Art and Culture), and the local education office in Solo, Central Java, participated.
One significant assessment finding was that 87% of 222 assessed schools refused to provide the requested information on the implementation of BOS funding in their schools. In East Java and Jakarta provinces, 100% of schools rejected the request for information and claimed that they were
unaware of, or were unsure whether the Law on Open Access to Public Information (OAPI) applied to BOS. YSKK also found discrepancies and irregular transactions in expense reports. “The community must be encouraged to take part in monitoring the implementation of government programs, including BOS funds. We need to empower the community by educating them on how to access the information and what to do when there is an indication of misused and/or mismanaged funds by the schools,” says Suroto, Director of YSKK. “The community-based monitoring system for the BOS fund will serve as a way for citizens to exercise their right to monitor and participate.”
Bridging the Democracy Gap Through Constituency Offices or Rumah Aspirasi Establishing and strengthening fruitful relationships between members of parliament (MPs) and their constituents remains a focus of ProRep’s activities. Through the JABAT program, which began in May 2012, ProRep has continuously supported MPs in conducting more effective recess visits in their electoral districts. From December 13 to 14, ProRep facilitated a public discussion to help stakeholders reassess the feasibility and effectiveness of constituency offices or Rumah Aspirasi – a district-based platform of interaction between MPs and constituents, which has been perceived negatively by the public. Establishing these offices can be a way for constituents to channel their concerns or aspirations to their respective MPs outside of scheduled recess visits. Around 70 participants gather to discuss ways to promote the establishment of the Rumah Aspirasi and help citizens understand how this can be an effective way for them to get their concerns addressed. Participants plan to work with fellow CSOs and media to help the DPR in shifting the public’s perception of these constituency offices. Because of perceived public opposition to the DPR’s plan to establish these offices in MP electoral districts, they were never built, when they were initially proposed in 2010.
Legislation specialists – Alvin Lie, former MP and Director of Mitra Parlemen Indonesia (MPI), Sulastio from Indonesian Parliamentary Center and Setyanta Nugraha, Secretariat General of DPR and Acting Deputy on Budget Implementation and Oversight – facilitated the sessions. At the end of the two-day event participants developed a concise action plan to support the DPR in reviving the Rumah Aspirasi, which included ideas on how best to design and manage the initiative.
Hesti of CSO Prakarsa presented the group’s’views and recommendations on how to revitalise Rumah Aspirasi and how it could best be used to address problems faced by constituents.
“Rumah Aspirasi is more than just a building. It is a medium to bridge communication between constituents and their MPs.” Sulastio, Director of Indonesian Parliamentary Center
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Students Promote Safe Migration to Parents As part of its continous efforts to advocate for the rights of former migrant workers in East Java, Cakrawala Timur, a Surabaya-based CSO, held a discussion and photo expo targeting students, entitled “Migrant Workers: Past, Present, and Future”. This event was one of Cakrawala Timur’s many outreach activities designed to raise the awareness of the public and government authorities about the lingering challenges faced by migrant workers in Blitar, East Java, where 7,041 people have worked or currently work as migrant workers1. Representatives of Cakrawala Timur, in collaboration with Member of Parliament (MP) Eva Sundari, spoke to students from the Islamic boarding school, Pondok Pesantren Al Kamal, about ways to ensure the safety of Indonesians working abroad, in the hopes that these students will pass the message to their parents and others in their community. The photo exhibition brought to life the stories of both successful and unfortunate migrant workers to provide the audience with a broad view on how working as migrant laborers has affected Indonesians. The challenges faced by migrant workers begin early in the recruitment process, and include issues related to falsifying documents, insufficient training, unethical employers, and poor monitoring and law enforcement from the government. “We all have our own roles in society and should work hand-in-hand to achieve our shared vision. Members of Parliament advocate the issue systematically through the policy and/or law, while educational institutions like this Pesantren work at the grassroots level. [You are] educating the society through the students on issues faced by migrant workers, the rights and responsibilities of migrant workers, safe labor migration practices, and the potential benefits as well as challenges that they might face during their employment abroad,” said Hon. Eva Sundari.
“We all have our own roles in society and should work hand-in-hand to achieve our shared vision.” Eva Sundari, Member of Parliament – DPR RI.
Siti Maimunah, 18, a student of Al Kamal Islamic Boarding School, Blitar, East Java, expresses her concern on the condition of children from migrant worker families.
Siti Maimunah, a student of Al Kamal Islamic Boarding School, Blitar, East Java, appreciates this interactive type of event. “Absence of the (migrant worker) parents has impacted the lives of the children. They lack compassion from their families and many have lost their way. A friend of mine whose parents are working abroad is now pregnant before marriage because of the lack of involvement of her family,” she said, expressing her concern about the conditions of children from migrant worker families. The event was followed by a hearing the next day with residents from Blitar district and Wakil Bupati Blitar District, where two women groups appealed for better support from the local government for current and former migrant workers.
1
Source: Technical Services Unit for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (UPT P3TKI) of East Java Province.
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Securing Food Through Local Supply Chains As part of its Social Safety Net (SSN) Programs and to ensure adequate staple food consumption, the Indonesian Government introduced the subsidized rice program in 1998, supplying 1.05 million tons of rice to households during that fiscal year. The program was later renamed Raskin - Rice Subsidy for the Poor in 2002. Overseeing and learning from the years of implementation of the program, InProSula, a Yogyakarta-based CSO focusing on food security and representing farmers groups, is advocating for drastic improvements in the program – specifically that government food subsidy programs source food locally, where possible. Their recommendations were shared during a seminar and national workshop held in Hotel Santika, Yogyakarta, on December 12 to 13, 2013. InProSuLa’s recommendations stem from their experience advocating for a win-win solution for Kulonprogo District, Yogyakarta, where the subsidized supply of rice for residents is now being sourced from the local market which has a surplus of rice production. If the supply for rice subsidies can be provided by the local market, the quality of the rice will be higher, the distribution cost will go down, and the local farmers will have increased revenue from rice sales.
A farmer in Yogyakarta taking care of his seedlings. CSO InProSuLa advocates for locally-sourced food subsidies to support food security in regions.
The workshop brought together a range of key players on food security - officials and representatives from the Regional Food Security Boards from twelve provinces 3, local MPs from the regional parliaments of Kulonprogo and Yogyakarta, the Association of Farmers Groups (Gapoktan), civil society organizations, local media, heads of districts, experts in agriculture and food security and representatives from the National Logistics Agency (BULOG) and the National Agency for Food Security (BKP) under the Ministry of Agriculture. A huge step forward in improving food subsidy programs is that this workshop provided the platform for two of the main actors regarding food security in the country – BULOG and BKP – to coordinate for the first time on needed improvements. The national workshop concluded with a broad commitment to seek the amendment of the government’s guidance (Pedoman Umum/Pedum) on Raskin implementation and to expand the concept of locally-sourced food subsidies to other staple foods grown in other parts of Indonesia. InProSuLa will continue to identify strategic actions to advocate for the amendment of the Pedum on Raskin implementation and develop alternative forms of food aid to accelerate poverty reduction. 3
Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Java, Lampung, Jambi, North Sumatera, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Kalimantan, West Sumatera, East Java, and South Sumatera
W HAT ’ S C OMING I N J ANUARY ?
Civic journalism training for CSOs. In cooperation with the USAID-funded KINERJA program, ProRep will hold a workshop on civic journalism on January 27 – 30. This session will help CSO partners make better use of mass media to inform the public on key issues, while engaging citizens and creating public debate.
Workshop on women political representation: draft bill on gender equality and equity. On January 16, the Women’s Research Institute will disseminate the results of its policy research findings on the role and form of representation of women members of the House of Representatives and on gender equality policies.
IPC public hearing. Will involve fractions, BALEG, DPR expert staff and DPR Commission III to review Indonesia Parliamentary Center (IPC) findings on strengthening the non-jurisdictional committees of the DPR (BALEG, BAKN, etc.). The hearing is planned for the 4th week of January.
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Improving food-security, reducing poverty ProRep trains civil society organizations and think tanks to interface with government and parliaments, helping them become more effective advocates. In 2013, ProRep partnered with the Women’s Association of Small Business Assistance (ASPPUK) and the Association of Indonesia Women Unions (HAPSARI), supporting their efforts to improve women’s economic conditions by helping them access small, low-interest loans, promote pro-women policies, and train women to become effective leaders. Several women participating in their programs have taken on new leadership roles, and some have been asked to run for political office. HAPSARI established three farming cooperatives in Kulon Progo, Central Java and one trading house in North Sumatera and as a result female farmers, entrepreneurs and their families are now more financially independent. ASPUK’s intense advocacy efforts led to larger budgets for health services in Central Java, and a IDR 750 million equipment grant to women-owned small businesses from the local office of the Ministry of Cooperatives. Circle Indonesia and the Indonesia Organic Alliance (AOI) researched the use of public funds for organic farming programs, including subsidies for organic fertilizers and formulated fertilizers, and presented related policy recommendations to DPR Commission IV on Agriculture, Plantations, Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Food. Gaining new skills in budget monitoring and advocacy, AOI forged relationships with policy makers at the national and local levels for the first time and won broader public support through a public information campaign. Pergerakan, in partnership with the Federation of Fisherfolks Groups (FSNN), trained their members on government programs for improving fisherfolks'
An organic farmer in Pepen Village, Yogyakarta proudly displays her organic vegetables. Circle Indonesia and the Indonesia Organic Alliance conducted research and analysis on the use of public funds for organic farming programs and presented policy recommendations to the DPR to Commission IV on Agriculture, Plantations, Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Food.
welfare (called PKN, or Peningkatan Kesejahteraan Nelayan) and recommended PKN program improvements to DPR’s Commission IV Special Task Force for PKN, the Marine and Fishery Ministry, and the media. Later in the year, the FSNN successfully negotiated support from the local marine and fishery office in West Java—they received a fishing boat valued at IDR 750 million.
Organizational capacity building and skills development ProRep works to help our partners upgrade skills, and to build effective networks, memberships, and relationships to enhance their program impact. Having received intensive trainings and coaching from ProRep, YSKK – a local NGO based in Yogyakarta – has been transformed into a national level player, becoming an important member of a national coalition of 19 NGOs working on education issues. Five project CSO partners (AJI, Pergerakan/Fisherfolk Alliance, HAPSARI, InProSuLa, and YSKK) have expanded their representational capacity by collectively adding over 1,000 members/constituents to their organizations. An Indonesian Policy Research Network (PRN) was initiated in June 2013. The members – consisting of five research organizations – face common challenges, such as upgrading the quality of research, communicating results to policy makers, and becoming financially sustainable. A June 2013 study tour to the United States helped the founding members learn from their US counterparts. In the long run, the PRN plans to expand to serve a broader membership.
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Enhanced civic participation Through the JABAT program, ProRep provided 17 DPR Members and their staff with expert technical assistance – Constituent Relations Liaisons (CRLs), through partner Kemitraan – to conduct better planning, implementation and follow up of quarterly visits to their electoral districts during the DPR’s recess periods. Through the program, the participating Members interacted with 10,653 community members, media professionals, and local officials in their electoral district and became better aware of the needs their constituents face. Through JABAT, Members’ staffs have gained skills in helping their MPs maintain regular communication with their constituents, and work to address their concerns. An example of how communities benefit from this more direct access to their DPR Members comes from MP Teguh Juwarno’s electoral district. In 2013, through intensive follow up by the MP and his staff, around 100 villages received funds from the Village Infrastructure Development Program (PPIP the Ministry of Public Works) amounting to IDR 250 million to build village infrastructure which was damaged from sea erosion.
Achmad Sugiharto, a community member in Rancawuluh Village, Brebes, Central Java, leads a community discussion to report on and evaluate the governmentfunded infratructure project in the village.
Enhanced evidence-based policy making process ProRep is helping policymakers gain better access to sound, evidence-based policy options so that they are better equipped to make decisions in the best interest of the Indonesian people. ProRep is working to increase the quality and quantity of policy research produced and institutions’ skills in getting it before policymakers. Indonesian think tanks have begun to share their policy research widely. The Institute for Economic and Social Research at the Faculty of Economics-University of Indonesia (LPEM)
shared their study on the impact of decentralization on deforestation in Indonesia and developed recommendations for the proposed Amendment Law on Fiscal Balance that would contribute to better conservation of Indonesia’s forests. Researchers from Paramadina Public Policy Institute presented their research on performance based budgeting in Indonesia at the 3rd International Conference on Government Performance Management and Leadership held in Tokyo, Japan.
ProRep in Numbers 2013
37 9
CSO and research institutions have improved capacity. policy briefs brought to parliament by CSOs and research institutions.
32
CSOs in 11 provinces (grantees and their networks) have improved knowledge and skills in creative advocacy.
72 161
articles on CSO advocacy featured in the media. public forums held in 12 provinces in which national legislators and members of the public interacted.
Source: ProRep Annual Report 2013. The data resulted from activities conducted during period of September 2012 to October 2013.
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Improved quality of education and health services mation requested on the implementation of BOS funding. YSKK shared policy recommendations on how to reduce mismanagement of the BOS program with policymakers, including Members of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Commission X on Education, Youth Affairs, Sports, Tourism, Art and Culture.
Elementary school children in Indramayu attending class. YSKK initiated and promoted a community-based monitoring system to improve the quality of education in schools receiving the government-initiated School Operational Assistance (BOS).
YSKK initiated and promoted a community-based monitoring system to improve the quality of education in schools receiving government-initiated School Operational Assistance (BOS – Bantuan Operasional Sekolah) program funds. YSKK assess responses from schools when they are asked to share information on the utilization of BOS funds by the public (Law No. 14 of 2008, the Freedom of Information Act requires that such information be shared). The exercise revealed that 87% of 222 assessed schools refused to provide the infor-
Concerned with the country’s 57% increase in the maternal mortality rate (MMR) since 2007, Prakarsa, in partnership with PIAR, conducted research and advocacy on the implementation of the government’s Free Birth Delivery for All program called Jaminan Persalinan (Jampersal) in East Nusa Tenggara. The research discovered five main reasons women are not reaping the full benefits from the program. One is that many women cannot afford to pay for transportation to bring them to health facilities. Another is the lack of health facilities and skilled personnel in remote villages. Third is a misperception of midwives’ roles and competencies. A fourth reason women fail to avail themselves of the Jampersal program is poor information dissemination on the program, and a fifth is complex and lengthy claims repayment procedures. YSKK continues to advocate for an increase in the overall health budget, which is only three percent of the total state budget.
Promoting accountability and transparency With support from ProRep, the Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) trained 60 journalists (including 8 women) on the budget process and on how to raise public awareness of budget issues strategically through the media. These journalists replicated the trainings in three additional locations across Indonesia. As a direct result, newly-trained journalists published a total of 162 articles and in-depth reports on the use of public funds. ProRep has facilitated connections between the DPR’s new public accounts committee (BAKN) and CSOs such as Indonesia Parliamentary Center
(IPC) and the Indonesia Budget Center (IBC) and which has led to the establishment of a coalition of CSOs on Public Funds Accountability (KUAK). These groups are working together for institutional reform in the DPR, more effective oversight and greater transparency and accountability in government programs and spending.
The newly-established KUAK has led to 37 articles featured in the media on the role of the BAKN and budget accountability. Greater public awareness and support of these issues will help secure effective budget oversight within the DPR in the years to come.
Program Representasi (ProRep) is a four to five year project on democracy and governance supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its aim is to improve representation in Indonesia by increasing the inclusiveness and effectiveness of groups and institutions that seek to express people’s interests to government and by increasing the transparency and effectiveness of legislative processes. Program Representasi (ProRep) is implemented by Chemonics International in partnership with the Urban Institute, Social Impact and Kemitraan. For more information visit www.prorep.or.id or contact us at info@prorep.or.id.