DELI SERDANG | INDATANEWS.COM - The Deli Serdang Regency Government is creating greater opportunities for the younger generation to help shape the direction of regional development. As part of a youth consultation on regional development, ideas and concerns from representatives of 40 community organizations were gathered at the Cendana Hall of the Deli Serdang Regent's Office on Friday, August 28, 2026.
Deli Serdang Deputy Regent Lom Lom Suwondo, SS, personally opened the consultation. The Deli Serdang Regency Government intends to use the results of the discussion as one of the inputs in preparing regional development planning for the 2027–2029 period.
The consultation followed up on concerns raised by young people during a reflection dialogue on the first 18 months of the administration's work. Through the forum, the government seeks to ensure that the voices of the younger generation do not remain merely as contributions made during a dialogue, but are developed into concrete ideas that can be incorporated into the regional planning process.
Youth Urged to Play an Active Role
In his address, Lom Lom Suwondo emphasized the importance of youth participation in the development process. In his view, the perspectives of the younger generation can broaden the government's outlook when formulating policies and determining programs that are responsive to the needs of the community.
"The initiative for this event is extraordinary. It is intended to gather thoughts and ideas that may have previously been held back and provide them with a space to be voiced. Today, we are creating that space through the youth development consultation," he said.
Lom Lom explained that regional development requires contributions from various segments of society, including students, youth organizations and young people who have actively advocated for different community interests.
"Development will not be complete if the thoughts of youth groups, students and young people who are involved in Deli Serdang are not included," he emphasized.
He expressed hope that participants would not only present ideas but also offer criticism of existing policies and development programs. The government, he said, needs direct feedback from the community to ensure that the direction of development remains aligned with residents' needs.
"These achievements are, of course, the result of the collective work of all regional government agencies. But today, we need to hear more from you. Is the development direction of Deli Serdang Regency already in line with the needs of the community, young people, students and academics?" he said.
Lom Lom also called on participants to jointly follow up on proposals generated during the consultation. This is important to ensure that relevant ideas do not disappear once the discussion forum ends, but instead continue through the planning process, including consultations with the Deli Serdang Regional House of Representatives.
"We hope that all concerns raised today can become part of the regional government's work plan and that we can jointly monitor their implementation," he said.
He also called for similar forums to be held regularly. Such forums would allow the government and youth groups to jointly evaluate development while discussing new issues emerging within the community.
YOUTH PARTICIPATION: Deli Serdang Deputy Regent Lom Lom Suwondo emphasizes the importance of participation by young people, students and various youth groups in regional development. (PHOTO: Edi Saputra)
Unemployment and Poverty Decline
During the consultation, Lom Lom also presented several development indicators from approximately 18 months of his administration alongside Deli Serdang Regent Asri Ludin Tambunan.
According to statistical data from August 2025, the unemployment rate in Deli Serdang Regency stood at 7.69 percent. The figure represented a decline from August 2024, when the unemployment rate was recorded at 8.02 percent.
During the same period, the proportion of the working population stood at 92.31 percent. The labor force participation rate reached 70.13 percent, an increase of 2.56 percentage points compared with the previous period.
The Deli Serdang Regency Government also recorded improvements in poverty indicators. The proportion of people living in poverty declined from 3.44 percent in 2024 to approximately 3.11 percent in 2025.
Lom Lom described the development as an indication of progress achieved so far. At the same time, he emphasized that the government must not become complacent with statistical figures. Continued evaluation and feedback from the community remain necessary to determine whether government policies and programs are actually addressing problems on the ground.
For this reason, the government opened the consultation forum to a wide range of perspectives. Young people, students, academics, community organizations and other groups were able to put forward proposals based on their experiences and the problems they encounter in their respective environments.
This approach is expected to help the government develop programs that are more responsive to community needs. This is particularly relevant to challenges involving employment, improving the quality of human resources, youth issues, education and strengthening public participation in regional development.
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING: Acting Head of the Deli Serdang National Unity and Political Affairs Agency (Kesbangpol), Anwar Sadat, explains that participants' ideas and proposals will be compiled and used as input for preparing regional development planning documents. (PHOTO: Edi Saputra)
Concerns to Be Incorporated Into Planning Documents
The public dialogue held as part of the youth consultation on regional development featured Deli Serdang Politica Science Study Program Secretary at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of the University of North Sumatra (USU), Dr. Fernanda Putra; representative of Perhimpunan Suluh Muda Indonesia, Kristian Redison Simarmata; and Chairman of the Deli Serdang branch of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), Lisbon Situmorang.
The three speakers presented perspectives from their respective fields. Views from academia, youth and research organizations, as well as the press, formed part of the discussion on the direction of regional development and efforts to strengthen the youth sector in Deli Serdang.
Acting Head of the Deli Serdang National Unity and Political Affairs Agency, Anwar Sadat, said the government was holding the event not merely in response to concerns raised by young people, but also based on several regulations governing youth policy and regional development planning.
These include Law No. 40 of 2009 on Youth, Minister of Home Affairs Regulation No. 86 of 2017 on procedures for regional development planning, control and evaluation, as well as Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2025 concerning the Deli Serdang Regency Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) for 2025–2029.
According to Anwar, the event demonstrates the government's efforts to connect the concerns of young people with the regional development planning mechanism. The government is not only collecting participants' views but is also preparing a follow-up process so that relevant proposals can be incorporated into planning documents.
The event involved the Communication, Informatics, Statistics and Encryption Agency, the National Unity and Political Affairs Agency (Kesbangpol), the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), as well as several other relevant government agencies. Inter-agency cooperation is necessary to ensure that each idea submitted can be assessed according to the respective needs and responsibilities of each institution.
The Bappeda, Kesbangpol and relevant agencies will subsequently compile all input submitted by the participants. The team will identify relevant ideas and proposals that can serve as a basis for preparing Deli Serdang's regional development planning documents.
"We will collect and consider the ideas and proposals that can be incorporated into the regional development planning documents," he concluded.
Through this mechanism, the Deli Serdang Regency Government hopes that the youth consultation on regional development will not become merely a ceremonial event. Instead, it is expected to serve as one of the channels for public participation, particularly for the younger generation, in determining regional development priorities.
Youth participation is also expected to evolve beyond simply submitting input into an active role in monitoring and supporting the implementation of government policies. Through open dialogue and clear follow-up measures, the ideas of the younger generation can make a concrete contribution to the formulation of Deli Serdang Regency's development programs for the 2027–2029 period. (IDNC)
REPORTER: Edi Saputra | EDITOR: Fik Sagala