Community Empower through the Local Railway of Rural Area

Ratih Arum Sari

Student of Postgraduate School, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

bungsuratih@student.upi.edu

Keywords: Community Empowerment, Law Number 06 Year 2014 about Village.

Abstract: After the law number 06 of 2014 on the Village was published, it has been explicitly and concretely present

a legal in the context of community empowerment based on rural areas. The purpose of this study is to reflect

the aspect of community empowerment in the frame of local rural wisdom after the issuance of Law no. 06

of 2014 by using literature review techniques where the main focus is the program of community

empowerment in the context of Village No. 04 law on Village through strengthening the role of village

government in conducting community empowerment process based on local wisdom. The Village

Administration has not yet implemented the maximal community empowerment function because there is a

major problem that is structurally weak empowerment where the delegation of authority and funding from the

district government has not been implemented with the principle of recognition and decentralization. In Law

No. 06 of 2014 on Villages, the context of community empowerment emphasizes the involvement of

community empowerment actors, as a companion role in the realm of regeneration, organizing and social

learning. Then the direction of community empowerment in the realm of institutional strengthening,

participatory development, community-based development with principles and collaborative and

consolidative aspects.

1 INTRODUCTION

The term 'empowerment' has been grounded in the

social development sector where empowerment has

been the answer to most problems, and this is a rare

development initiative that conceptually explains

how 'empowerment' is fostered through Skerratt's

'endurance' (2013), Berkes and Ross (2013 ), and

Mohan and Stokke (2000). In general, the

implementation of community empowerment in rural

areas before the birth of Law Number 06 Year 2014

about the Village has been less optimal where

community empowerment in rural area so far is

discourse without the social cost and economic cost

In addition there is no delegation of authority from

the district / municipal government to the village

government, causing the community empowerment

approach still top down, then post reform that is

marked by the role of the community is required to be

involved has changed the paradigm of empowerment

started with programs initiated by the government

emphasized the participation of the community such

as one of the programs that accommodate the group

and in the form of pilot project is a savings and loan

group under the institution UPK (Financial

Implementation Unit), the program became a tangible

form of village government involvement even though

its nature is only a recipient of the program in the

empowerment of the community because the main

role managerial accommodated by the relevant sub-

district and cross-sectoral government. Community

empowerment is synonymous with political policy as

from previous research results which increase 'spirit',

resilience and local empowerment of communities in

rural context has become a major political issue

(Scottish Government, 2015). This policy direction is

seen as crucial to halting the decline in rural

populations of human resources by maintaining and

improving the quality of life in rural areas, as well as

for securing the provision of basic services. Thus it

should "policy" assume that society can overcome

their development hurdles through empowerment

(Steiner and Markantoni, 2014). Nowadays,

community empowerment is a crucial issue and the

main concern of stakeholders in Indonesia, it is

proven that the government has tried to accommodate

every activity of community empowerment in rural

area through Ministry of Village, Disadvantaged Area

146

Sari, R.

Community Empower through the Local Railway of Rural Area.

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 1, pages 146-151

ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8

Development and transmigration Through the

Directorate General of Development and

Empowerment of Villagers (Kemdesa PDTT)

Empirically empowerment is part of a

development paradigm that focuses its attention on all

the principal aspects of human beings in their

environment i.e. from the intellectual aspect (Human

Resources), material and physical aspects, to the

managerial aspect which then these aspects may be

developed into socio-cultural, economic, political,

security and environmental aspects, where

empowerment itself has three main characters that are

community based, resource based local (Local

resource based) and sustainable (sustainable).

In empowerment the main goal to be achieved is

a social change that combines two closely

interconnected dimensions: empowerment and social

inclusion. The first applies to the individual while the

latter corresponds to the social system of the society

and the institution set forth in a favorable policy

which leads to increased incentives, which, in turn,

provides better access to development opportunities

and resources for the poor and other marginalized

individuals (Bennet, 2002). Social inclusion, similar

to the social mobilization empowerment component,

aims to give people marginalized greater power and

change the system as a whole, so that the needs of

those living in it poverty are met (Giambona and

Vassalo, 2014). Law No. 06 of 2014 comes as an

oasis amid the crisis of human resource development

and natural resources in the countryside, where in

article 78 the normative purpose of this legal basis is

to improve the welfare of society and the quality of

human life and to overcome poverty through the

provision of basic needs, and village planning,

development of local potential and sustainable use of

natural resources and environment. This is in line

with the concept of education of sustainability

development (ESD) which discusses three important

dimensions that are interconnected with one another,

referring to the environment, social and economic,

which is also called triple bottom line related to profit,

planet and human (profit, planet and people). These

three components must be balanced with their mutual

influence and support (Svanstrom, et al., 2008;

Brundiers, et al., 2010; Kuhlman and Farrington,

2010; Sanchez-Medina, et al., 2011; Nicolette, et al. ,

2013). Achieving sustainable development through

community empowerment can not be achieved with

technological solutions, political regulation (Politic

Will) or financial development but with quality

education and learning for sustainable development at

all levels and in the community setting where Horace

Mann (1848, p.154) states that public education has

the power to prevent poverty through education.

Education sustainability development recommended

by Wooltorton (White, 2008 for) is implemented in

education as quoted, "zeal in the pursuit of

sustainability education goes as far as sustainability

as its primary purpose".

Practically there are technical guidelines for the

use of village funds that are rolled out to the village

administration by the Ministry of Village.

Disadvantaged areas and transmigration through

legal standing issuance mechanism that is in the form

of legal product of the regulation of the minister of

the village, there are 3 (three) issued concerning the

priority of the use of village funds containing at least

2 priority areas of use i.e. in the field of village

development and community empowerment. The

existence of Law Number 06 Year 2014 in the field

of community empowerment is explicitly stated in

Article 1 Paragraph 12 which reads "Village

Community Empowerment is an effort to develop the

independence and welfare of society, increase

knowledge, attitude, skill, behavior, awareness

ability, through the determination of policies,

programs, activities and assistance in accordance with

the essence of the problems and priorities of

community needs. Where practically the community

empowerment referred to the Village Law No. 6 of

2014 is ambiguous and controversial because it

includes not only control over others, but also the

power of individuals or communities within an

institution to achieve something themselves and

others (Sagaert, 2006) and also there is a weakness of

the law is still less attention to the reality of society

and the potential of the existing villages in Indonesia,

the result is there are regulations that do not fit so

within 3 (Three) years after the enactment of the

policy whether the community empowerment

through local wisdom of rural areas contained in the

policy is in line with theoretical empowerment spirit

and how the community empowerment process is

meant by the policy.

2 METHOD

This article is a study of literature using qualitative

Verstehen (comprehension) method, which is

intended to understand the empowerment of the

community through local wisdom of rural areas by

reviewing the results before and after the enactment

of law number 06 year 2014 about the village which

is then reflected through the program- programs that

have been implemented as an out put on an

empowerment institution

Community Empower through the Local Railway of Rural Area

147

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Community Empowerment

Empowerment is an alternative concept of

development that has been since the 1980 mobilized

by various circles.

Even so there are many movements of community

empowerment through a number of development

programs so far not yet overcome the problems and

problems of development, especially rural

communities, Many impressions have emerged from

various circles who say that community

empowerment-based development programs are now

more oriented to the issue of physical development

For various reasons, the concept of empowerment is

difficult to understand to be defined (Mason, 1987).

Generally, the conceptualisation of empowerment is

about change, choice, and power. And as defined by

the World Bank, ‘empowerment is the process of

increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to

make choices and to transform those choices into

desired actions and outcomes’ (World Bank, 2011).

However, the concept can vary in its form and

occur at different ‘levels’ personal/psychological and

community. In this paper, we define empowerment in

accordance with Article 1 Paragraph 12 which reads

"Village Community Empowerment is an effort to

develop self-sufficiency and welfare of the

community, increase knowledge, attitude, skills,

behavior, awareness ability, and utilize resources

through policy determination, programs, activities

and assistance in accordance with the essence of the

problem and priority needs it can be understood that

empowerment as a process of change where

individuals or groups (in this case rural) with limited

choice, freedom, and power are enabled to gain and

leverage the forces that enhance their abilities by

using choice and freedom in ways that contribute

positively to well-being. Thus, when viewed the

essence of the Community Empowerment of

Laverack and Labonte (2000) and Laverack (2006)

highlights that the core of many narratives of

community empowerment is the idea of 'strength',

especially how communities work together to gain

greater control over decisions that affect their lives

through shifting relationships power between them

and others (especially policymakers). In this form,

community empowerment is a 'process', but can also

be treated as a 'Result' of autonomy that is formed

from a policy.

3.2 Community Empowerment: Policy

The presence of Law No. 6 of 2014 like two sides of

the coin eye there are opportunities and challenges. In

terms of opportunity, this policy is a state strategy in

empowering the community then from the side of the

challenge, the empowerment strategy becomes an

approach in anticipating the implementation of the

village policy, and the thing to note in this policy is

the value of participation orientation rather than the

community empowerment movement. Zimmerman

(1995) and Speer (2000) argue that empowerment is

inherently an interactive process in which individuals

do not become self-empowered but as individuals

gain positive self-perceptions through changes in the

local environment and develop awareness of key

issues by involving others, around and developing

relationships.

The shift of the development paradigm to the

empowerment paradigm has put the society that was

once viewed as the object of development shifted into

the subject of development in the context of

community empowerment. Referring to the paradigm

shift of community empowerment Sutoro Eko (2004:

249) said that the empowerment orientation is the

community and local institutions, this becomes a

crucial point in development, especially in the

implementation of Law No. 6 of 2014. A very simple

rationalization is that the fundamental change in

creating community self-reliance through community

empowerment, especially the mandate of the policy

does not lie in the budget allocation of billions of

rupiah to the village so that money turns into the main

motivator of the passionate participation (money

driven development) and also neither lies in the

granting of considerable village authority or village

autonomy, nor lies in encouraging the income of the

village head and the apparatus through the APBN and

APBD, nor by the addition of tenure of the village

head to three periods or the addition of duties and

functions of BPD.

The change of village is also not only because the

village law requires every village to have BUMDes,

all this can be regarded as an instrument that

encourages the change of village but the most basic

thing is how humans or people who move it all

including local institutions where people perform

their duties and function. Margot Berton in Sutoro

Eko (20014: 249) says that the idea of empowerment

departs from an objective reality that refers to the

unequal structural conditions of power allocation and

the sharing of access to community resources. This

understanding is at least a critical reflection on the

inequality of the development system which

recommends to all parties to place a more substantive

empowerment orientation amid the presence of Law

ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences

148

No. 6 of 2014. Where the existence of society or

people is the subject of development and local

institutions in rural areas so it needs a place for the

community to accommodate and mobilize the

interests of a more specific and interactive domain in

gaining control and control over issues concerning

them (Cattaneo and Chapman, 2010; Holden,

Messeri, Evans, Crankshaw, and Ben-Davies, 2004;

Maton, 2008; Zimmerman, 1995). Thus the

empowerment movement must show man as an

autonomous and dynamic "institution". It means man

is a life structure that represents himself.

Therefore, the empowerment movement is

directed to the effort of self-capturing through a

number of aspects, namely cognitive aspects, aspects

of affection and behavioral aspects. When this aspect

is empowered then participatory, independent and

sustainable development expectations will be the

answer. Village law with its recommendations can

only be implemented when human and local

institutions are able to build strength through

collaborative and synergic aspects to emphasize the

involvement of community empowerment actors, as

a companion role in the realm of regeneration,

organizing and social learning which then direction of

community empowerment in institutional

strengthening, participatory development,

community-based development with consolidative

principles. For that the process of community

empowerment becomes very important to do

regardless of the hustle and bustle of the debate

seeking priority of community empowerment,

especially rural community.

3.3 Community Empowerment

through Local Wisdom of Rural

Area

Technically the method used in community

empowerment through local wisdom is to integrate

the village social institutions in their local wisdom

into an institutional strength through regulation at the

village level. This is followed by the division of tasks

and functions that are legalized through the

integration of the legitimacy of adat and village as

administrative areas of government. The

geographical context within which empowerment

occurs is important, as it is in specific ‘places’ that

individual/psychological and community

empowerment may be linked. Skerratt and Steiner

(2013) argue place empowerment does not always

result in community empowerment occurring and that

there should be a stronger consideration in research

of the complexities of empowerment. Moreover,

studies should acknowledge that communities are the

result of many differing identities, histories and social

relationships. These differences between individuals

and their allegiances to places affect a community’s

potential capacity and sense of empowerment.

Furthermore, places are residential psychosocial

environments that can affect individual and collective

wellbeing through factors such as environmental

quality and relative social position, in turn affecting

people’s commitment and optimism about

empowerment (Kearns et al., 2012). Furthermore,

places are residential psychosocial environments that

can affect individual and collective wellbeing through

factors such as environmental quality and relative

social position, in turn affecting people’s

commitment and optimism about empowerment

(Kearns et al., 2012). Area perceptions (such as

relative status and quality) can also influence

individual’s self-regard, in turn affecting their mental

wellbeing and place empowerment (Bond et al., 2012;

Gilchrist, 2009). Studies of empowerment must

incorporate this place individual collective interplay.

Community social institutions such as village

government, customary and religious figures as well

as existing village social organizations. Then the

empowerment of the community through the local

wisdom of the rural areas is meant by this policy that

in determining the policy should pay attention to the

needs and interests of the village community (Article

24, Article 81) with a participatory approach

facilitated by the mentoring process of professional

assistants (TPP) starting from the level of village

government to the level of regency government as in

the regulation of the Minister of Village number 5 of

2016 on the development of rural areas. Local

wisdom refers to the principle ;( a). Fair (b).

Participatory (c). Holistic (d).Balance (e).diversity,

(f).Ecological linkage (g).Synergistic (h).People's

economic stance (i).Transparency and (j).

Accountable.

The enthusiasm to build villages from the

periphery has been a driving force for development

that leads from rural areas based on local service so

that it will generate an inclusive dimension of the

community, information society and knowledge

community as the expected outcomes, in generally,

the information society participates in helping the

process of achieving higher and more perceived

development goals by the community on a broader

scale with the approach of technology literacy, which

by utilizing technological advances to convey

applicative knowledge. Jarvis argues that the

indication of knowledgeable society is that people are

able to respond to the dimensions of cultural change

in the order of life as the effect of globalization (Peter

Jarvis, 2007). Ideally, the idealized image of

knowledgeable peoples should be understood when

their knowledge can be used to open up opportunities

Community Empower through the Local Railway of Rural Area

149

for everyone and their social development in order to

gain material and non-material benefits by utilizing

knowledge as a primary source of increasing

commodity and service production. Knowledge in the

form of information commodities is needed in

preparing qualified human resources and to develop

rural areas. Law Number 6 Year 2014 on the Village

relates to human development efforts as human

capital with a mechanism based on local wisdom

where in article 24, article 81 stated that the

determination of the policy should pay attention to the

needs and interests of the community through a

collaborative process. Village Law No. 6 of 2014 on

Villages gives a clear picture of how the community

empowerment mechanism can be done through three

aspects relating to the first process aspect, related to

development ethics (article 78)

Second, in relation to participatory collaborative

strategies in village development, and which third,

related to the development of social institutions. The

ethics in the development referred to in this policy

provide an axiological basis in the form of a

procedure or mechanism for joint action which is in

accordance with the norm (article 3, article 78,

regulatory principles) in the form of community

participation which is then interpreted as a positive

relationship between policy makers divided into three

levels or three main steps: Citizen Power, Tokensim,

and Non-Participation which is then spelled out into

eight sub-levels including the following: a). Citizen

control, i.e. the public has the authority to control

public policy starting from the formulation of

planning, implementing evaluation process; (b).

Delegated Power, where the government in this case

delegates its authority to the community in taking

care of itself perceived needs in a program; c).

Partnership, through partnerships built between

government and society; (d) Placation, which

involves the community to become a committee

member or board in a program, but the right to decide

remains with the government; (e). Consultation,

starting from survey activities, consultation, two-way

communication through meeting with citizens with

the mechanism of hearings so that the results of the

meeting become material in determining the type of

program to be rolled out; (f). Information,

information that is one-way only contains the

message to be addressed by the stakeholders;

(g).Therapy, the level of participation in this method

is very low because the main objective to be achieved

through the process of educating the community is the

compliance of the policy that rolled out; (h).

Manipulation, People are directed not to feel

compelled through the process of manipulation to

participate in a program (Arnstein 1969).

Then the institutional form as output from the

results of community empowerment through the local

wisdom of rural areas after the enactment of this

policy is formed an economy institution such as

Village Owned Enterprises (article 26, article 81,

article 90) in this case local wisdom of rural areas has

implications on factor- economic factors as a result or

implication of the empowerment process.

Furthermore, the collaborative strategy referred to in

this policy is to promote integration in the process of

community empowerment through local wisdom of

rural areas between the community and stakeholders

by aligning the vision and mission that leads to the

great goal of this policy that is to establish

independence for rural communities. The aspect of

empowerment according to Village Law Number 6

Year 2014 can be seen in Figure 1 (Ivanociv, 2014).

Figure 1: Village Law Number 6 Year 2014.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The spirit of development that empowers optimally

through the local wisdom of rural areas in the midst

of the presence of Law No. 6 of 2014 can’t be found

should the government at the village level need to be

given socialization, education and debriefing as well

as sustainable development as the Village Driven

Development. The birth of the Village Law

conception has "saved" homework in the realm of

empowerment because in that policy has mentioned

the development of village based on local wisdom

with a clear firmness, it is important to collaborate the

spirit of development based on local wisdom.

So that the direction of community empowerment

through development ethics, carried out with

collaborative strategy and generate social institutions

as an output to the renewal of the village

independently. Village renewal through community

empowerment based on local rural wisdom departs

from a reflection on the economic-political-cultural

crisis that afflicts the village. Then the process of

community empowerment in this policy is a model of

village renewal through a transformation process to

achieve a new village that is better and meaningful

through the efforts of social movements (Dadang

ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences

150

Juliantara 2002, Himawan Pambudi, 2003; Yando

Zakaria 2004 and Mangku Purnomo 2004).

Ultimately the goal of village renewal has two

important elements, namely. Transformation and

social movements. Transformation is a holistic and

continuous change to address the various village

problems where this transformation requires the

social movement of the "root" which means not made

by the government to be run by the people, but rather

as a movement based on the initiative and strength of

the village community.

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