MATARAM – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, has invited all residents of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) to maximize their existing village potential. He emphasized that village potential is a crucial factor that must be utilized to ensure rapid regional development and to address the various challenges faced by the community.

"Governor, Vice Governor, please map out the villages according to their potential. By doing so, God willing, the villages in NTB will become a source of pride for us all," he stated while serving as a keynote speaker at the NTB Provincial Development Planning Forum (Musrenbang) for the formulation of the 2027 Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD) at the Lombok Raya Hotel, Thursday (April 16, 2026).

The Minister explained that maximizing village potential aligns with supporting government programs, including the realization of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (KDMP), where 100 percent of the profits are returned to the people. He clarified that this initiative does not intend to treat existing Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDesa) as rivals; rather, they should be paired for collaboration. With the unity of all parties, the Minister expressed confidence that Indonesia's development, particularly at the village level, will succeed swiftly and accurately.

"The core point is that the functions of modern retail will be replaced by the Village Cooperatives. One hundred percent of the profits will favor and flow back to the village for the benefit of the people. NTB has many BUMDesa. There is no need for conflict with the Cooperatives, and they do not need to undermine each other because both can operate side-by-side," Minister Yandri added.

He stressed that villages must receive special attention as they are the root of all development across Indonesia. If villages are managed well, community economies are guaranteed to improve, a sentiment echoed by Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf during the same event. However, this cannot be achieved by a single agency alone and requires extensive collaboration.

"Governance must be improved. If the governance is sound, God willing, everything else will follow, including the economy. If the economy rises, poverty will decline," he noted.

In addition to inter-agency cooperation within the central government, partnerships are also being forged with regional governments. The shared objective is to ensure community welfare in alignment with the reduction of poverty rates.

In this regard, NTB has successfully continued to alleviate poverty through various programs involving all levels of government—from the center to the village—and community collaboration. This success is evidenced by NTB's poverty rate, which has consistently declined from 17.05% in 2014 to 11.38% in 2025, as reported by the Governor of NTB, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal.

Accompanying Minister Yandri at the event were the Director General of PEI, Tabrani, and the Director General of PDP, Nugroho Setijo Nagoro. Also in attendance were the Vice Governor of NTB, Indah Dhamayanti Putri, and representatives from regency and municipal governments across the province.

Foto: Andri/Kemendes PDT 
Teks: Ria/Kemendes PDT