VP: TNP2K Policy "Kitchen" Effective in Reducing Poverty

13 August 2014

The National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) is an example of an institution removed from bureaucracy that can play its role well. TNP2K was compared to a kitchen ready to serve poverty reduction policies to the government. "As processors and by working together with other agencies, TNP2K sometimes serves me and other ministers with policies that I did not know I ordered. I see the interactions between the kitchen and those at the front of house, and they are very good," said Vice President Boediono, after receiving a detailed report on TNP2K work in the auditorium at the Secretariat of the Vice President, Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 14 Pusat, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 12 August 2014.

Boediono said that such interactions can provide good and interesting lessons at TNP2K. The vice president noted that TNP2K’s unique character comes from the fact that it is not part of the bureaucracy, but treads a path that can freely access bureaucracy. “TNP2K has fulfilled my expectations,” he said before the members of TNP2K.

Lessons we should draw from this is experience, Boediono said, include that an organisation that acts as a “kitchen” cannot be a “front office”. “But that very good relations between the back and front office have made TNP2K a very effective kitchen,” he said.

The vice president sees the potential of such institutions, such as TNP2K, which decide successful policies and work well. "If it can work properly and successfully in the field poverty, then it can also be done in other areas," said the vice president.

According to the vice president, the key to TNP2K is good support, especially from an extraordinary youth and an openness of bureaucracy, which has allowed TNP2K to conduct "evidence-base of policy making." He cited a phrase sometimes used if a piece of information becomes policy. "Policies like these can be true or false. This is where evidence-based policies become very important," he said.

Another characteristic of TNP2K, said the vice president, is its ability to network with the best institutions in the world, citing collaborations with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “Access to the best ideas are part of the kitchen,” said the vice president.

To get the best possible decision, the Vice President said, do not think of nationalism in a narrow sense that does not allow for cooperation with foreigners. “Remember the words of Bung Karno that nationalism grows out of an international garden," he said.

At the end of his speech, the vice president delivered a message to the government that they will defend TNP2K activities. “My hope is that TNP2K is still able to function. Its location – whether in the vice president's office or others does not matter –, but its spirit must be maintained,” he said. He also hoped that the spirit of TNP2K at all levels would be kept, despite changes in government, so that major steps towards reducing poverty can be worked on together. After giving his speech, the vice president reviewed a series of infographics that were prepared by TNP2K.

The event was also attended by Australian Ambassador Greg Moriarty and Head of Presidential Working Group for Supervision and Control (UKP4) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto.

In his opening speech, TNP2K Executive Secretary Bambang Widianto said that poverty reduction has been a priority of the SBY-Boediono government for the last five years. "In addition to achieving other important goals, the government aimed to help the poor and vulnerable, and reduce the gap [between the rich and poor]," said Widianto.

He also described some successful accomplishments carried out in accordance with TNP2K’s primary mandate: to improve the targeting of beneficiaries in nearly all poverty reduction programmes using the Unified Database (BDT). BDT contains social, economic, and demographic information on approximately 25 million households (roughly 96 million people) with Indonesia’s lowest welfare status.

BDT, Widianto said, holds the most accurate information as it stems from data provided by the poor themselves and compiled in the 2011 Data Collection for Social Protection Programme (PPLS), which was then developed by TNP2K.

TNP2K’s secondary mandate is to improve programme implementation mechanisms, including the distribution of aid. This was done by developing groundbreaking policies, such as the Social Assistance Card (KPS) which can be used to access a wide range of social protection programmes, including Raskin, Cash for Poor Students (BSM), and Unconditional Cash Transfers (BLSM), as well as registered for the National Health Insurance Programme (JKN).

Widianto, who also serves as Deputy Secretary to the Vice President for People's Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, explained that the population living under the national poverty line fell by around 4.25 million over five years, from 32.53 million (14.15%) in 2009 to 28.28 million (11.25 %) in 2014. “This [decrease] is the result of cooperation and political commitments by the central governments, local governments and TNP2K in executing their duties," he said.

After describing TNP2K activities, Widianto submitted a detailed report outlining TNP2K’s work accomplishments to Vice President Boediono, as chairman of TNP2K.

TNP2K was established following Presidential Decree No. 15 of 2010 on the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction, emphasising the government's commitment to accelerating poverty reduction in Indonesia. TNP2K is responsible to the president and is chaired by the vice president, whose members include ministers and heads of institutions related to the field of social welfare. In his duties, the vice president is assisted by the coordinating minister for people's welfare and the coordinating minister for economic affairs, while is duties and daily function are assisted by the secretariat. TNP2K Secretariat is headed by the executive secretary, who also acts as deputy secretary to the vice president for people's welfare and poverty alleviation.

TNP2K’s roles includes: (a) developing policies and improvements to poverty reduction programmes; (b) creating synergy through synchronisation, harmonisation and integration of poverty reduction programmes among ministries/agencies; and (c) supervising and controlling the implementation of poverty reduction programmes and activities.

Source: Wapresri.go.id