Millennials Build Villages

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

A Pandanlandung village official in Wagir district, Malang regency, East Java, swears in 16 village officers according to the new organizational structure and village governance (SOTK) on Saturday (16/02/2019). The newly inaugurated officers included nine young people aged between 20 and 35. The young people are now encouraged to go home to build their villages.

Millennials have been linked to technological sophistication and urban lifestyles. However, of millennials in Malang regency have decided to be ndeso (agrarian), returning to their villages to serve and develop them.

On Saturday evening (2/16/2019), nine people aged 20-35 raised their voices to swear their oaths as village officials at the village hall of Pandanlandung in Wagir district, Malang regency, East Java. The nine had scored the top grades in the fit and proper test for village officials last Thursday (2/14/2019), which had involved 16 applicants.

"For Allah, God the Almighty, I swear and promise that I will fulfill my obligations to my best ability as a village official," they said during the swearing-in ceremony.

One of the newly installed officials was Annisa Nurul Imani, 22, who was appointed the Padanlandung village treasurer. The Malang State Polytechnic University graduate, who graduated in October 2018 with a level-3 associate degree (D3), had once worked at a private company and received a job offer at a bank. However, Annisa decided she preferred to work in a village.

"My initial dream was to become a teacher. However, after dealing with and learning about rural problems, I decided to challenge myself in village development. I will be personally proud to serve the people. We will also be proud when our village advances," she said.

She is entrusted with a vital task. It could be said that the treasurer is the heart of the village administration. A treasurer does not only supervise the incomes and expenditures as a kind of cashier, but must also authorize expenditure requests from the village secretary, or carik. The appropriate use of the village budget depends on the treasurer.

Another young man who was sworn in was 22-year-old Bagus Sadewa, who is in his 10th semester majoring in informatics engineering at the Indonesian Informatics and Computer Institute (STIKI) in Malang. He had been serving since 2016 as a financial systems operator for the village, and was now promoted to carik.

The secretary drives village governance in assisting the village head to execute village policies.

In his role as financial systems operator, Bagus and his colleagues had innovated the online administrative services system (PAOD) for Padanlandung. The system provides online civil registration services including personal identification cards (KTP), family identity cards (KK), birth certificates and death certificates.

Working closely with the STIKI, Bagus and his colleagues designed an online program so the village residents could access administrative services using a smartphone or computer. The system sends a

notification when administrative documents have been processed. The online system has simplified and shortened the bureaucratic process while freeing it of illegal fees and middlemen.

"After being given this new responsibility, I want to do two things, recovery and discovery. Fixing governance where shortcomings are found, and discovering and promoting the potential of this village so that it will progress," said Bagus.

Pandanlandung village chief Wiroso Hadi said there was a reason for appointing the young village officials: He wanted the village administration to run better.

In December 2018, the Village Fund Task Force from the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry visited Pandanlandung. The village, which had become known for several innovations, received serious notes from the task force on village governance, which had been deemed unsatisfactory. "We hope the Pandanlandung village administration will improve with the addition of young people," said Wiroso.

The shining example of learning

The addition of young officials was expected to boost the working environment. "I want Pandanlandung village to become the model of a smart village. The point is that public services must be better, faster and easier," said Wagir district head R. Ichwanul Muslimin.

When most millennials preferred to live in urban areas, Annisa and her friends had responded to a call to serve their hometown. The nine were formerly members of the Sinau Desa, a villagers learning forum.

Sinau Desa is an informal community that regularly discusses village matters, and was formed by residents interested in village development. Sinau Desa was formed in 2018 through a small daily discussion that involved two to three people that was held at the Kopi Kawee Pandanlandung, a coffee stall run by the Wagir Inter-Village Cooperation Agency (BKAD). As it grew, its membership expanded to include village officials from Wagir district, the district head, journalists, local facilitators, and activists, as well as village residents.

The forum has invited several speakers from outside Malang to its discussions, from Kediri to Situbondo and Pasuruan, as well as from the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry. Sinau Desa also manages a members-only WhatsApp group.

The forum fostered the spirit of village development among millennials. Now, it is time for the fiery spirit of young blood to actively contribute to village advancement.