Evaluation of Public Involvement in the Formulation of Local Government Work Plans in Langkat Regency

Abstract

Community participation in the preparation of the Local Government Work Plan (RKPD) is an important aspect in realizing transparent and accountable governance. This research aims to involve the level of community involvement in the preparation of the RKPD in Langkat Regency and identify the obstacles and opportunities faced in this participatory process. The method used is a qualitative approach with interview, observation, and documentation study techniques to obtain comprehensive data. The results of the study show that despite the existence of formal mechanisms such as the Development Planning Conference (Musrenbang), public involvement is still relatively low due to limited access to information, low transparency, lack of use of digital technology, and low capacity of apparatus in facilitating participatory discussions. In addition, people tend to be passive in making proposals because they feel that their aspirations are rarely accommodated in the final policy. Therefore, this study recommends increasing socialization and education, the use of digital technology in Musrenbang, increasing the capacity of apparatus, and strengthening civil society in the planning process. With these steps, it is hoped that public participation in the preparation of the RKPD can be more optimal, so that the resulting policies are more in line with the needs of the community.