Labuhanbatu Selatan Regent Reaffirms Commitment to Good Governance and Public Services

BATAM | INDATANEWS.COM - Regent of Labuhanbatu Selatan (Labusel), Fery Sahputra Simatupang, reaffirmed the Labuhanbatu Selatan Regency Government's commitment to continuously strengthening governance, improving the quality of public services, and ensuring that development delivers tangible benefits to the community.

Fery Sahputra underscored this commitment during his attendance at the "2026 Outstanding Regional Government Appreciation Batch II for the Sumatra Region" event, organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) on Wednesday evening, August 12, 2026, at the Radisson Convention Center Batam in the Riau Islands Province.

The forum provided regional governments across Sumatra with a strategic opportunity to evaluate their achievements, exchange experiences, and strengthen cooperation in addressing various regional development challenges.

The "2026 Outstanding Regional Government Appreciation Batch II" event was not merely an award ceremony. Rather, the Ministry of Home Affairs used the event as a platform to assess the performance of regional governments in delivering services focused on meeting the basic needs of the people.

Four Areas at the Center of the Assessment

In the second round, the Ministry of Home Affairs established four assessment categories: access to and quality of healthcare, implementation of the "3 Million Houses" program, waste management and environmental cleanliness, and public access to education.

Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian said in his address that the appreciation program was a continuation of the first round, which focused on inflation control, reducing unemployment, addressing child growth disorders (stunting), and creative financing models.

According to Tito, the themes of the second round were aligned with the messages of President Prabowo Subianto and the Asta Cita agenda, which serves as a central framework for national development.

Tito said that environmental cleanliness was one of the reasons the Ministry of Home Affairs included waste management and environmental cleanliness as an assessment category.

The central government is also paying particular attention to accelerating the "3 Million Houses" program. Although the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas is responsible for implementing the program, regional governments also play an important role in supporting its implementation at the local level.

For the Labuhanbatu Selatan Government, participation in the regional forum provided an opportunity to learn about best practices from other regional governments and draw lessons that could support development in its own region.

Regent Fery Sahputra attended the event together with Labusel Regional Secretary M. Reza Pahlevi Nasution; Head of the Public Works Office Safi'i; Head of the Village Community Empowerment Office Awaluddin; Head of the Health Office Fernando; and Acting Head of the Education Office Sutan Nataris Oloan.

The presence of leaders from various government agencies demonstrated that the Labusel Government views development as a collective responsibility. The regional government must connect various sectors so that the policies being implemented can comprehensively address the needs of the people.

Cross-Sector Collaboration for the Community

Education, healthcare, the environment, public works, community empowerment, and housing are closely interconnected with the quality of life of the population.

Therefore, the various indicators highlighted at the "2026 Outstanding Regional Government Appreciation" event can serve as a basis for the Labusel Government to evaluate and further develop its future development programs.

The forum also conveyed an important perspective: regional governments must not limit themselves to administrative achievements or mere program indicators. The success of development must be measured by the concrete changes directly experienced by the people.

Healthcare must become more accessible and of higher quality. Access to education must be improved for the public. At the same time, the government must ensure a cleaner and healthier environment. It must also address the need for adequate housing through targeted policies.

In this context, recognition from the central government is not an end goal. Instead, an award should encourage regional governments to continuously evaluate and improve their performance.

For Labusel, the forum in Batam also provided an opportunity to learn about various innovations developed by other regional governments to address challenges faced by their communities.

The Labusel Government can use these best practices as references and adapt them to the specific characteristics, needs, and potential of its own region.

The participation of Regent Fery Sahputra together with the heads of regional agencies also underscored the importance of close coordination in translating national policy directions into regional development programs.

The regional government requires both support from national policies and the capacity to implement those policies in accordance with the conditions and needs of the people of Labuhanbatu Selatan.

Recognition as a Driver of Better Development Performance

As part of the "2026 Outstanding Regional Government Appreciation for the Sumatra Region Batch II" event, the highest-performing regencies, cities, and provinces in the four categories will receive awards in the form of plaques and certificates.

Regional governments achieving the top rankings will also have the opportunity to receive financial incentives. First place will receive Rp3 billion, second place Rp2 billion, and third place Rp1 billion.

In the category for implementation of the "3 Million Houses" program, winning regional governments will additionally receive a housing renovation quota from the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Areas.

This system demonstrates that the central government does not view the awards merely as symbolic recognition. Instead, they are intended to provide regions with concrete incentives to further improve development performance and public services for their communities.

Regent Fery Sahputra Simatupang's participation in the forum was part of the Labusel Government's efforts to strengthen relations and synergies with the central government.

Through the forum, the Labusel Government gained an opportunity to benchmark its performance, broaden its perspective, and strengthen its development strategies in the fields of education, healthcare, the environment, housing, public works, and community empowerment.

Ultimately, the success of a government is measured not merely by the number of programs it launches or the awards it receives. The decisive measure is the extent to which its policies contribute to better public services, a healthier environment, improved access to education, quality healthcare, and increasing public welfare.

From Batam, the message was once again clear: regional development must move beyond the mere implementation of programs toward concrete and tangible impacts for the people. (IDNC)

REPORTER: Jhon Fitra Sagala | EDITOR: Fik Sagala

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