JAKARTA – Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto affirmed that the 6th Asta Cita pillar under President Prabowo serves as a crucial foundation shaping the architecture of successful village development across Indonesia.

He emphasized that elevating the role of villages within the 6th Asta Cita framework is not merely a social program, but an essential prerequisite and absolute benchmark for overall national development success.

Consequently, strengthening rural areas must form an integral component of the national development strategy. Village administrations hold a pivotal role in ensuring that development initiatives are accurately targeted, responsive to community needs, and capable of generating sustainable long-term impact.

"Under President Prabowo's leadership, villages are positioned as active subjects rather than passive objects. This vision is enshrined in President Prabowo's 6th Asta Cita pillar: Building from the Villages and Grassroots to Achieve Economic Equity and Poverty Eradication," Minister Yandri stated while speaking on Metro TV's Cover Both Sides program themed Growing Villages, Advancing Indonesia in West Jakarta on Wednesday (October 7, 2026).

Minister Yandri explained that the 12 Actions to Build Villages, Build Indonesia (12 Aksi Bangun Desa, Bangun Indonesia) framework crafted by Kemendes PDT carries profound strategic significance beyond a mere list of programs. It represents a concentrated effort to shift the national mindset regarding rural communities—transforming them from passive policy recipients into key drivers of national growth.

The twelve strategic actions are vital because rural development cannot rely on a single, uniform solution. Villages face complex, multi-layered challenges, including human resource quality, poverty, local economic sustainability, governance capacity, and adaptation to modern advancements.

"At Kemendes PDT, together with the Deputy Minister, Secretary-General, Directors General, Agency Heads, down to our frontline staff, we translated the 6th Asta Cita pillar into operational action. We also built an Octahelix collaboration model involving the private sector, academia, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to derive the 12 Actions to Build Villages," Minister Yandri detailed.

"This forms our core strategic focus. Through these 12 Actions, we evaluate all 75,266 villages across Indonesia based on their operational status—ranging from self-reliant, advanced, and developing villages to disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged villages," he added.

Minister Yandri further noted that the 12 Actions are essential for directing targeted development policies. They serve as a comprehensive strategic framework that aligns with sustainable development goals while maximizing local potential.

"Through these 12 Actions, we ensure that village development matches local realities. We aim to stimulate economic momentum directly from within the village using locally available resources, without imposing initiatives that align poorly with native potential," he concluded.

Accompanying Minister Yandri were Secretary-General of Kemendes PDT Taufik Madjid, Director General of Economic Development and Investment (PEID) Tabrani, Director General of Disadvantaged Regions Development (PPDT) Samsul Widodo, Head of the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) Agustomi Masik, and Head of the Information Development Agency (BPI) Mulyadin Malik.

Photo: Dani/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Dayat/Kemendes PDT