Depok, June 11, 2025 – The Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FIA UI), held the second session of its Brown Bag Discussion (BBD) series, focusing on a reflective dialogue around the implementation of multi-level governance in the context of 25 years of decentralization in Indonesia. The event was a collaborative initiative between two FIA UI research clusters: Public Governance and Administrative Reform (PGAR) and Democracy and Local Governance (DeLOGO).

The discussion took place in the Smart Class on the third floor of FIA UI and featured speakers including Dr. Herman Suryatman, M.Si., Regional Secretary of West Java; Prof. Dr. Djohermansyah Djohan, M.A., President of the Institute for Regional Autonomy; and Prof. Dr. Irfan Ridwan Maksum, Professor at FIA UI.

Prof. Dr. Eko Prasojo Mag.rer.publ, Head of the PGAR cluster at FIA UI, emphasized that this BBD session was part of a series commemorating 25 years of decentralization since the implementation of Law No. 22/1999 on Regional Governance.

The discussion brought forward several crucial issues surrounding central-local relations, including imbalances in authority, coordination, and budgeting between levels of government, as well as challenges in implementing national programs such as the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) initiative. Dr. Herman highlighted the need to balance rational approaches with local values in development.

“As the Sundanese proverb goes, batu turun keusik naek — symbolizing mutual cooperation between central and regional governments — when the center steps down, the region must step up. This philosophy has been applied in Sumedang to drive transformation towards digital governance,” said Dr. Herman.

He also noted that despite facing limitations in human resources and budgeting, Sumedang has achieved notable success in implementing the Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE), making it a model of regional success in its own context.

Prof. Irfan, meanwhile, criticized what he described as hidden centralization, which weakens the role of provincial governments as extensions of the central authority.

“Today’s multi-level governance is neither effective nor ideal, as it does not operate on the same frequency. A key issue lies in the dual role of provinces as both autonomous regions and representatives of the central government — yet without proper funding or support from the center,” Prof. Irfan explained.

He also pointed to coordination inconsistencies, such as the disregard for governors’ roles and direct instructions issued from the central government to mayors or regents. Other contributing factors include local political dynamics, such as the case of a governor in Sulawesi being rejected by subdistrict heads under orders from the mayor. These examples indicate that the current system of multi-level governance has not yet succeeded in supporting the goals of public service and citizen welfare.

Prof. Djohermansyah stressed that regional autonomy should enable policy differentiation and tailored implementation, rather than enforcing uniformity in the name of central efficiency.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of revising Law No. 23/2014 as a pivotal moment to realign the government structure and strengthen substantive decentralization. Participants agreed that the main challenges in implementing decentralization lie not only in policy design, but also in political will, planning consistency, and the courage of regional governments to innovate.

Through this forum, FIA UI continues to foster spaces for academic dialogue and contributions to policymaking, ensuring that decentralization reforms move forward — reinforcing local democracy and improving public welfare.