Building the Independence of Villages in Bandung Regency, Indonesia

: Village has a vital role in the national development efforts. The concept of development considered village as an object instead of a subject of development. This study focused on determining the important points in enabling a village to be independent by shifting the paradigm of “building the village” into “the building village”. This study was an exploratory research of public policies with qualitative legal studies. This study was conducted in 3 villages in Bandung regency with different characteristics, namely Neglawangi with urban characteristics, Cibiru Wetan with sub-urban characteristics, and Rancamanyar with plural characteristics. The results of this study showed that the wise step in building an independent village is through “the building village” road maps. First, encourage the inception of critical and care community and community organizations who dynamically interact in the policy making processes of village development. Second, implement a participative, accountable, and transparent planning and budgeting system within the limits of their authorities. Third, empower inclusive village economic institutions. The three road maps can succeed if they are supported by good implementation of participative, systematic, effective and efficient planning and budgeting system, as well as good monitoring.


Introduction
Development is series of efforts to improve the welfare of the entire life of community, nation, and country in order to achieve national objectives as listed in the Preamble of the1945 Constitution. Village has a vital role in the national development efforts because majority of Indonesian population tend to live in rural areas, and this fact has great influence on the efforts to achieve national stability [1]. In addition, village is considered to have strategic position in national development [2,3], because it serves as the basis for the identification of social problems and the planning and realization of state objectives at the village level [4]. Rural development considers village as medium of development to reduce social gaps.
Village is considered lagging behind the city in terms of economy, welfare, education, and other facilities. There have been many programs from government to accelerate rural development [5,6], but they have not shown significant results in improving the welfare of community. One of the factors in the failure of rural development programs is due to government's huge intervention that hinders the creativity and innovation of community in the rural management economy.
To accelerate the development from peripheral regions, the government of Indonesia implements the mandate of Law No. 6  has made plan to realize 2,000 independent villages at the end of 2019. To strengthen the efforts to achieve the objectives of village and rural development, the government has developed Indeks Desa Membangun (IDM) (the Building Village Index) as stated in the RPJMN (National Medium-Term Development Plan) Book of 2015-2019. In this RPJMN, the strategic target is to reduce the number of disadvantaged villages to 5,000 villages and to increase the number of independent villages to at least 2,000 in 2019. This objective requires the clarity of village status and its development. Other than to determine the development status of each village in relation to its characteristic, the Building Village Index can also be developed as an instrument to make achievable targets in the RPJMN 2015-2019.
In order to reduce the number of disadvantaged villages and increase the number of independent villages, the essential problem that needs to be addressed is "poverty", where it is the problem that has always received the most attention from the government of Indonesia. The reason is that the government has realized the importance of addressing the poverty. Failure in addressing this issue can lead to many social, economic, and politic problems in society. According to Mubyarto [7], the serious efforts of government were seen in 1976 to 1996, where the poverty in Indonesia reduced drastically from 40% to 11%.3.
Poor people commonly have low effort due to limited facilities and infrastructures. Due to lack of access in economic sector, they lag far behind the people with better access and potential. According to Damanik et al [8], poverty is an important indicator in development. The progress and success of development can be seen from significant changes in the size of poverty. It is the reason the government has a fundamental interest in addressing poverty.
To determine the increase of welfare and development in a region, it is necessary to have a benchmark. This increase can be marked with the change in structures in several areas, such as education, health, economy, politics, and culture. In Indonesia, especially in villages, status of a village is used to determine its progress and development. This status is determined by the progress and independence of the village based on IDM. Classification of the status includes independent village, developed village, developing village, underdeveloped village, and disadvantaged village.
Independent village is the highest status compared to the other four. Independent village has an increased level of social welfare and low poverty rate. In general, village located far from administrative center has a high poverty rate [9,10]. This is what happens in Neglawangi village, Kertasari district, Bandung regency. This village is a border village divided by Mt. Papandayan between Garut regency and Bandung regency, and is located far away from the capital of Soreang regency. In addition to Neglawangi, Bandung regency also has villages at the border with other regencies, i.e., Cibiru Wetan at the border of Mt. Manglayang with villages in Subang regency and Sumedang regency. Location of Cibiru Wetan is far from the capital of Soreang regency. For villages at the border with Bandung city, West Java provincial government has determined Rancamanyar as an assisted village to be developed into independent village in Bandung regency as it is directly adjacent with Bandung city.
Neglawangi is a plantation village because, since Dutch colonialism, its community has developed the potential of tea plantation. No wonder that it is possible to develop the potential for tourism through independent village program, so is Cibiru Wetan. It is a forest conservation village that is located at the slope of Mt. Manglayang. Meanwhile, Rancamanyar is a industrial village that has urban characteristics with many new settlements and plural inhabitants. Basically, these three villages received less attention from tourists and from both central and local government. However, they are gradually developed to attract more tourists to explore the natural potentials and beauty of Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar. Government should see these potentials as opportunities to develop the villages. In turn, Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar, will hopefully develop into prosperous villages and can slowly reduce their poverty rate from year to year. The progress of Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar can't be separated from the use of appropriate strategy by local government so that everything in the villages is according to IDM. According to data in the field, results of this research describe the strategies that the village governments can do in transforming and developing Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar into independent villages, and review the result after the transformation of Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar into independent villages. In order to facilitate the analysis of problems mentioned above, two mutually-reinforcing approaches were used, i.e., concept of strategy in development and concept of indicators in independent village.
Rural development is a strategy to enable poor people in villages to obtain what they want [11], and need for themselves and for their children. This strategy attempts to assist these groups of people to earn a living in rural areas and to gain more benefits from development [11]. Adisasmita [12] suggests that, in the development of a region, several important factors need to be considered, i.e., first, the productive, efficient, and effective use of natural resources and potential sectors. Second, even development of facilities and infrastructures across all parts of the region. Third, improvement of human resources as agent of development. Fourth, optimal spatial planning and land use for development.
Deciding the strategy of development in a region needs to adjust with programs to run. Therefore, strategy used in a region differs from other regions, because it adjusts with programs and existing potentials. Blakely, in Mudrajad [13] said that: "...in determining local development strategy, there are three aspects to be considered, i.e., determining objectives and criteria, determining possible actions of strategy, and determining targets of strategy".
Therefore, appropriate strategy is needed in the development to achieve independent villages. Several alternatives can be taken to achieve the independent villages, as manifested in Law No. 6 of 2014 concerning Village. First, mapping of village potential and market network to be managed as source of village economy and social economy. Second, application of guidance or direct assistance to accelerate the development in sociocultural aspects, reinforcement of the capacity of village government, and restructuring of village administration. Third, establishing synergy between rural development planning and regional and national planning. Fourth, establishing village administration as modern organization based on rural culture. If the strategy of development succeeds, it will effect the progress of sectors in it.
To see how success the development is, a benchmark for indicators is needed. Regulation of The Minister of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration No. 2 of 2016 concerning The Building Village Index elaborates Indeks Desa Membangun (IDM) (the Building Village Index) for realization of independent village. A village can be considered independent when it has 3 indexes, i.e., social resilience, economic resilience, and ecological resilience. Each of these indexes has its own dimensions and indicators. From explanation above, this study discusses more in-depth about efforts to realize independent villages, especially in Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar through development of BUMDes (Village-owned Enterprises) established by village government and community.

Materials and Methods
Method used in this study was socio-legal based on empiric data [14]. Therefore, legal basis, both of laws and regulations, as well as rural habits in Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri (Towards Independent Village program) in Bandung regency, West Java province, can be fully explored and then used to make concrete formulation of strategic plan for central government, provincial government, regencial government, and especially these three village governments, which serve as loci of this study, to make these villages independent. This method is based on theory that good rules and patterns is also These stages began with inventory and identification of relevant study resources, both primary and secondary concrete data, which were directly obtained from Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar. In general, the process of drafting this academic study consists of three steps:

Conceptualization
This was the initial step in the "technical assistance" activity conducted by research team. In this step, the drafting team conducted the conceptualization of academic study on Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Bandung regency, West Java province. General Guidelines for Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Bandung regency, West Java province, was made in consultation with a team of experts through focus group discussion (FGD) with related local government agencies. It is expected that, from the FGD, there would be inputs regarding things regulated in academic study and draft regulations which support the Independent Village Program.

Data Collection, Publication, and Public Consultation
In this step, the drafting team conducted data collection, publication, and public consultation of Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Bandung regency, West Java, and conducted discussion with stakeholders in the three villages, i.e., Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar. Target of output in this publication is to promote the plan of Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Bandung regency, West Java province, and to obtain inputs from participants for improvement of the draft regulations on this independent village program.

The Political Process and Decision Making
Political process and decision making is the last part in the technical assistance activity. Political process is discussion on draft regulations prepared by central government, provincial government, and regencial government, as well as village government in implementation of Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Bandung regency, West Java province. Decision making is the step where this program should be forwarded and approved by government and its funding is fully supported by people's representatives in House of Representatives (DPR RI), Provincial House of Representatives (DPRD Provinsi), Regencial House of Representatives (DPRD Kabupaten), and Village Consultative Bodies (BPD) in Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar

Results
From data collection in the field and analysis of Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar, Bandung regency, West Java province: 3.1. Potentials of Neglawangi to be developed as independent village are:


Revitalization of Neglawangi village monument, Dutch heritage tea plantation, development of tourism by following Neglawangi community activities around the tea plantation. From the data collection in the field and analysis of the Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar, Bandung regency, West Java province, this study can summarize some points, namely: 1. This study has not completely presented methods or simple tips and tricks of how to build an independent village. This study, however, attempted to provide local initiatives and innovations that may be modeled after and applied in other villages. Best practice narrative tried to be delivered in this study, either it was about Neglawangi, Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 25 February 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202102.0582.v1 Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar, is certainly not a discourse that can be accounted for like grand theories of development. However, local initiatives can still provide valuable lesson to be developed in these three independent villages.
2. Law No. 6 of 2014 concerning Village is in synergy with Nawa Cita (the nine-priority agenda of Jokowi's administration) as guidelines of the policies of national development to provide opportunities for local initiatives to achieve independent villages. Therefore, the wise step in building an independent village is through "the building village" road maps as stated and structured in Law on Village and Nawa Cita.
3. The road maps are, first, encourage the inception of critical and care community and community organizations who dynamically interact in the policy making processes of village development. Second, implement a participative, accountable, and transparent planning and budgeting system within the limits of their authorities. Third, empower inclusive village economic institutions. In addition, to successfully achieve an independent village, it should also be supported by good implementation of participative, systematic, effective and efficient planning and budgeting system, as well as good monitoring.

Discussion
In the context of The New Order administration, concept of development considered village as an object instead of a subject of development. Within this framework, village is only a location for government to get and spend state resources. However, it is not for the the needs and progress of the villages. The New Order administration has turned bureaucracy into political machine for power with less orientation towards empowerment and less favor to basic rights of local community. Local economic resources was exploited in such a way only to meet the target of growth. Meanwhile, the welfare of community as the subject and owner of resources was neglected. Eventually, the term "development" has been attributed to government serving as the subject, while village was only an object of development.
The key concept of development to understand the phrase "building the village" and "the building village" is not known in the discourse and theory of development. The concept of rural development is actually not known in the literatures of development. Historically, rural development was created in and served as an icon of The New Order, which emerged in Pelita (Pembangunan Lima Tahun) (Five-year Development Plan) Volume I (1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974) and brought forth the establishment of Directorate General of "Rural Development" under the Depdagri (Department of Home Affairs). In the mid-1980s, "rural development" was changed to "rural community development" because the former was oriented more towards physical development and didn't really touch the community. Directorate General of "Rural Development" also changed into Directorate General of "Rural Community Development". However, empowerment programs that emerged in 1990s have eventually encouraged the change of its nomenclature into Directorate General of "Rural and Community Development", and it remains until today. This Directorate General is still familiar with the nomenclature "Rural Development", as rural development is stated in the Government Regulation No. 72 of 2005 concerning Village Government. RPJMN and BAPPENAS (Badan Perencana Pembangunan Nasional) (National Development Planning Agency) as well as other ministries do not recognize the term "Village Development", but instead "Rural Development", and "Community Empowerment" (red, community refers to rural community). "Village Development" is no longer a national agenda, but it is localized into village's domain and affair.
Literatures of theory of development also recognize "Rural Development" instead of "Village Development". This concept is more popular and developed by many social scientists. Village and 'building the village' are part of "Rural Development". BAPPENAS follows and sides with this concept, There are rich, dynamic, and transformative literatures explaining about "rural development". As shown in table below, there was a paradigm shift from the old one (1960s to 1980s) to the new one (1990s to today). Old paradigm was state-centric with autocratic, top-down, centralized, hierarchical, and sectoral characteristics. New paradigm seems to have the spirit of "recognition and subsidiary" and is socio-centric with democratic, autonomous, independent, localized, participatory, and emancipatory characteristics [15].
'The building village' is the essence of Law No. 6 of 2014 concerning Village, which places village as the subject of development. Supradesa (village supervisor) serves only to facilitate the growth of independence and welfare of the village through policy scheme that prioritize "recognition and subsidiary". Supradesa does not need to be afraid of the consequences of implementing these two principles. Being the subject of development, village is no longer an entity that is burdensome to regencial government, provincial government, or even central government. In fact, village will become an entity that potentially bring the state's role closer to improving the welfare, prosperity and sovereignty of the nation, both in the eyes of its own citizens and in the eyes of other countries. Table below comprehensively and systematically elaborates the difference between rural development (building the village), that is in the domain of government, and village development (the building village). Better inter-village infrastructures.

2.
The growth of small towns as centers of development and hubs of economic transactions between villages and cities.

1.
Village government serves as the front line of public service.

Conclusions
From the explanation above, it is recommended to apply Program Desa Menuju Desa Mandiri in Neglawangi, Cibiru Wetan, and Rancamanyar, Bandung regency, West Java province by considering: 1. Implement Nawa Cita, especially the third point, "developing Indonesia from its peripheral areas by reinforcing these regions and villages". Among the grand agenda is to systematically and continuously control the implementation of Law No. 6 of 2014 concerning Village with facilitation, supervision and assistance. Village assistance does not only mean to implement the mandate of Law on Village, but also to supervise the change in order to achieve independent and innovative villages. With the assistance, it is expected that there will be more and more independent and innovative villages. 2. Commitment to leave the old ways and start the new ones in assisting the villages to be independent. Village assistance does not mean to assist the implementation of projects in a village, nor does it mean to assist and supervise the use of Village Fund. It means to fully assist the village. In principle, assistance is different from guidance. In guidance, there's a hierarchic relationship between those who guides and those who are guided and the knowledge flows one way from up to down. On the other hand, in assistance, those who provide assistance stand side by side with those who are assisted. The great mission of village assistance is to empower the village as a developed, strong, independent, and democratic self-governing community into an independent village. The scope of the assistance ranges from developing the governing capacity, organizing and building the critical awareness of community, reinforcing the community organizations, facilitating participative development, facilitating and reinforcing the village consultative forum (musyawarah desa) as the arena of local democracy and accountability, building the rural network and collaboration, to filling the vacant spaces between government and community. In essence, village should be assisted to find the chemistry and the same frequency between those who provide assistance and those who are assisted. 3. Another challenge for those who provide assistance is to transform the application of rural economic business policy into the practice of local authority at village level, both in the basis of village and rural areas, through these steps: 3.1 Building the critical and dynamic capacities of community and community organizations by: a. Conducting assessment and mapping of the capacity of community organizations. b. Organizing and facilitating the reinforcement of community organizations through implementation of programs/activities to improve their capacity. c. Involving community organizations in the public policy making processes conducted by village government.