“If the budget is not enough, collaboration with related ministries and sectors is the way, hence the concept of transmigration is gotong royong,” said Harlina Sulistyorini, staff at the Transmigration Ministry, during a discussion on transmigration transformation in the Seminyak area, Bali, on Monday.
She emphasized the need to boost cross-sector cooperation, including public-private partnerships (PPP) and private sector involvement.
Existing budgets will be optimized for priority community needs in transmigration zones, she added.
The Ministry of Transmigration has allocated a budget of Rp1.90 trillion or around US$114.3 million for 2026, slightly up from Rp1.89 trillion in 2025, to support transmigration transformation in the country.
Transmigration today focuses not just on relocating people but also prioritizes integrated economic zone development and legal certainty in these areas, Sulistyorini affirmed.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has identified some challenges through a four-month mapping and research effort by two thousand Patriot Expedition Teams (TEP) across 154 transmigration sites nationwide.
These teams, consisting of students and lecturers, studied economic potential and local issues in regions across Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua Islands.
One TEP member, graduate student Nuzul from Padjajaran University in Bandung, West Java, reported challenges like water resources, road infrastructure, livestock product marketing, and waste management from an expedition in Puncak Jeringo Village, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
Head of the Transmigration Policy Strategy Center, Wibowo Puji Raharjo, outlined five flagship programs.
First, legal certainty on land rights; second, improving transmigrant quality to reduce social conflicts; third, human resource development;fourth, job creation through industrialization and downstream activities; and cross-sector collaboration with risk management in national development.
Related news: Transmigration focuses on natural resource management: Ministry
Related news: Minister deploys 2,000 Patriot Expedition participants to 154 regions
Translator: Dewa, Kenzu
Editor: Arie Novarina
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
