Story from the Field: BUMDES Lights Hope in Wangkolabu
Wangkolabu Village, Towea District, Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, is a coastal village located on Tobea Besar Island. Their lives revolve around the sea, and they call the ocean their home. This is the resilient Wangkolabu Village. Every day, the village is filled with the hustle and bustle of its industrious residents who fearlessly venture into the sea to earn their livelihood.
The same spirit of optimism is evident in the presence of the Wangkolabu Village Community-Owned Enterprises (BUMDES), currently led by Mr. Jumir. Like the residents of Wangkolabu, these horse crab entrepreneurs believe that the existence of BUMDES will empower the community and business owners in the village.
"If the community believes in me, then we must work together," Mr. Jumir explains. To him, BUMDES belongs to all residents, "not just the BUMDES committee or the village chief, but it belongs to all Wangkolabu residents." Wangkolabu Village is currently in the early stages of developing BUMDES to stimulate the local economy. According to Jumir, community support is crucial because with a sense of ownership of BUMDES by its administrators, village officials, village facilitators, and the community, they can address any issues that arise.
Support for Mr. Jumir comes from Mr. Masling, Acting Village Chief of Wangkolabu. "The village is ready to provide startup capital for BUMDES," he says. The existence of businesses such as tent and chair rentals and a communal generator service has long been the hope of BUMDES for economic development in Wangkolabu. The arrival of the ACCESS Project, which will bring solar power generation (PLTS), has increased those hopes.
"We see the potential for other businesses that can grow once the PLTS is installed," he says. He envisions new opportunities for BUMDES business development, such as savings and loan services and clean water provision.
BUMDES in Wangkolabu is one of the 47,000 BUMDES established in Indonesia. When it was first established in 2014, there were only about 1,022 BUMDES in the entire country. By 2017, that number had significantly increased to 18,000 BUMDES, and now it has reached 47,000 units. Harlina Sulistyorini, Director General of Village Economic Development, PDT, and Transmigration, stated that there are currently 47,000 BUMDES in Indonesia, and more than 41,000 of them are registered with the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration.
Among these thousands of BUMDES, many are currently not in operation. Rudy Suryanto, Secretary General of the Indonesian BUMDES Forum, stated that many BUMDES were formed without a clear purpose and then became inactive because the villages did not have a concept or a roadmap for their BUMDES. Sakir Ridho Wijaya M.IP, Head of the UMY Government Science Laboratory, expressed a similar opinion: "Many BUMDES running these businesses do not know what to do, as their primary concern was just to establish them. Managers are confused, and eventually, these businesses become dormant. This is what we are currently assisting with, trying to ensure that BUMDES are operational, fill the void in the village, and improve the community's well-being."
Management weaknesses are one of the findings of the ACCESS Project in the development of BUMDES as managers of communal solar power generation facilities provided to the community. Therefore, as part of preparing the community to manage the grant of communal solar power generation facilities in 23 villages in Indonesia, the project specifically provides governance support for BUMDES and village power management units.
This support includes guidance in the establishment process, from creating a roadmap and recruiting administrators to identifying business opportunities and creating guidelines and standard operating procedures related to BUMDES management and development. Through the energy patriots deployed in these villages, the community is encouraged to develop and manage their economic assets independently. Slowly but surely, ACCESS energy patriot facilitation is igniting hope among the residents to develop the local economy in Wangkolabu.
These efforts are expected to turn the hopes of the administrators and village residents in Wangkolabu into reality. The presence of ACCESS is not only lighting up Wangkolabu but also raising hopes for the improvement of its residents' lives.
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Written by Sessario Bayu Mangkara (Community Development Ofiicer - Cakrabuana Konsultan) and Ristifah (Patriot Energy ACCESS Program - Sulawesi Tenggara) Edited by Salman Nursiwan