NTT Gives Vulnerable Groups A Voice in Development Planning

East Nusa Tenggara is strengthening inclusive development planning by ensuring proposals from vulnerable groups are incorporated into government planning and implemented through funded programs.

Driven by central government decentralisation reforms, Indonesia introduced a national legal framework in 2004 that required provincial, regency and city governments to hold an annual development planning forum, the Musyawarah Perencanaan Pembangunan or Musrenbang, where citizens help shape local development priorities and budgets. Designed as a bottom-up mechanism to bring community voices into government decision-making, Musrenbang is a cornerstone of Indonesia’s decentralised planning system.

While Musrenbang is designed to be inclusive, existing planning processes can be further strengthened to ensure that the voices and priorities of marginalised groups — including people with disabilities, women, children, older persons and Indigenous communities — are meaningfully reflected in development planning and budgeting. The conditions for change began to fall into place with Indonesia’s 2020–2024 national development plan (RPJMN), which made gender equality, disability and social inclusion a national priority, giving subnational governments both a clear mandate and a framework to act.

In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), that national commitment found a willing partner in Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena. This commitment was formalised in 2025 through Governor Regulation No. 2, which institutionalised Musik Keren as part of the province’s development planning process. The forum provides a structured mechanism for vulnerable groups to consolidate their priorities and formulate proposals ahead of the annual RKPD Musrenbang, strengthening their participation in development planning and budgeting.

The first Musik Keren forum, held in 2025, brought together civil society organisations and individuals representing people with disabilities, children, women, older persons, Indigenous communities and people living with HIV/AIDS. The forum gave vulnerable groups a formal space to convey their needs and develop proposals for inclusion in the official planning cycle. The results were immediate, with proposals from the first forum incorporated into the provincial budget (APBD) through 12 programs and 26 sub-activities totalling IDR 110 billion (approximately AUD 8.8 million).

The outcomes of the second forum, held in April 2026, were equally impressive. Of the 109 proposals submitted by vulnerable groups, 57 were accepted at the 2027 Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD) Musrenbang series, held in Kupang from 7 to 9 May 2026, and entered into the Regional Government Information System (SIPD), spanning the economy, infrastructure, governance and human development. The 2026 Musrenbang marked the second consecutive year of direct participation by vulnerable groups in NTT’s regional development planning process.

That meeting, held in Kupang, was attended by Acting Regional Secretary Flori Rita Wuisan, representing NTT Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, Legislative Council Chair Emilia Julia Nomleni, agency heads from the province’s 22 regency and city governments, and representatives of the NTT Provincial Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda).

In remarks delivered on behalf of the Governor of NTT by Flori Rita Wuisan, the provincial government expressed its appreciation for the active participation of vulnerable groups in Musik Keren and reaffirmed that the forum was designed to ensure development planning responds to the needs of communities, particularly groups whose voices have often been underrepresented in the planning process.

“Good development is not development that only listens to the voices of the powerful, but development that creates space for those whose voices have too often gone unheard. Because the true measure of regional progress is not only economic growth, but also the extent to which development brings a sense of justice to all members of society,” she stated.

The provincial government highlighted the importance of strengthening a microdata-based development approach and applying a by-name, by-address method to ensure policies and interventions are more accurately targeted.

Chair of the NTT Provincial Legislative Council Emilia Julia Nomleni said the aspirations of vulnerable groups through Musik Keren represent the true spirit of NTT’s development. Their needs, she added, are not limited to physical infrastructure but also encompass justice, protection and equal access to basic services.

Musik Keren is a joint initiative between the NTT provincial government and civil society organisations, supported by SKALA Program, the Australia–Indonesia Partnership for Basic Service Delivery Acceleration. By integrating proposals from vulnerable groups into the official planning and budgeting cycle, NTT has shown that inclusive, participatory and targeted development is achievable, providing a model for other provinces committed to ensuring no one is left behind in Indonesia’s development journey.