Kamardi

Guided by a deep understanding of village life, Kamardi has introduced a blueprint for village rule that is effective, transparent, and successful in engaging all people–regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity–as active participants in local governance.

Kamardi sees that the success of many social and economic efforts in Indonesia, introduced since the end of the New Order Regime, depends wholly on the ability of groups of diverse people to convene and make decisions about their own governance. To establish an effective system, of local governance, Kamardi has reinvented the kabupatens, the traditional district level government, not only to retain the positive aspects of its former incarnation, but also to introduce such critical elements as equal participation of women and men, and tolerance of ethnic and religious differences.
Using a design that melds the executive, legislative, and judicial functions of government, Kamardi helps villagers identify their collective needs, outline priorities, and align with other villages to achieve broader goals. Once at the mercy of a centralized government, villagers now solve their own problems; they build schools, introduce environmental management specific to their communities, and preserve aspects of their cultural histories and traditions that were suppressed for decades. Kamardi is taking his blueprint for local governance, which he initially designed for his own village in North Lombok, to neighboring villages and districts. Seeking a platform for policy advocacy, he attracts the attention of policymakers who are eager to find solutions that will work throughout the country.

Decades of authoritarian rule, enforced by the New Order Regime, stamped out citizen-led efforts and stripped communities–especially rural communities–of an effective framework for democratic participation. Now, few villages in this country of tens of thousands of islands are equipped to manage their own resources, develop viable business enterprises, outline collective priorities, and resist the predatory practices of some private enterprises and of the government. Without an effective framework for local governance, this nation of over 200 million people is presented with a great challenge. Many undesirables are quite likely to persist: gender inequality will continue, religious and ethnic intolerance will worsen, indigenous knowledge and customs will disappear, and desperation born out of economic instability will prevail, leading the nation down a path of separatism and violence rather than cohesion and unity.
Indonesia now faces a historic opportunity to engage all citizens in governance–Muslim and Christian, rural and urban, men and women. As evidenced by the approval and release of new policies, such as the Indonesian Regulation No. 22 on Local Autonomy, there is a window of opportunity to strengthen autonomy at the village and district levels. But few models for effective local governance exist to direct the implementation of these policies. A return to traditional forms of governance offers some solutions, but the strong hold of feudalistic values at village and district levels means that the expressions of gender, religious, and ethnic tolerance are very much confined.

Kamardi started his initiative by developing a pilot project in his own village. Utilizing his role as the head of the village, as well as the head of the customary system, he worked to improve, develop, formulate, and apply his ideas from within. Kamardi involved his village community directly, engaging both informal leaders and commoners, including women. By encouraging community participation throughout the village, Kamardi's own people have had an opportunity to learn about tolerance, participation and democracy, and sustainable resource management.
Kamardi combined both local and formal values to ensure that the initiative and its activities can be used and accepted by all parties. By adopting the universal principles through a simple language and local idiom, Kamardi's idea can be understood and applied by many different people.
Together with his colleagues from citizen sector organizations, formal leaders, and heads of villages, Kamardi developed an umbrella in North Lombok named The Alliance of Customary Community of North Lombok (PEREKAT OMBARA), whose members totaled 25 villages. This organization periodically conducts a workshop using local idiom (GUNDEM) and available resources. The organization was meant to strengthen their bargaining position and serve as a medium for learning together. On such occasions, Kamardi has also invited and involved other civil society experts, academicians, cultural experts, legislators, district executives, and guests from other regions. These additional participants help legitimize his ideas and activities, and encourage further replication.
Kamardi is working hard to spread his model throughout Indonesia. He has involved his community, and other heads of villages in North Lombok, to participate in the learning process in his village, and he has provided input for the head of villages who are interested in replicating his ideas. Kamardi has also documented almost all of his processes and the result of his initiatives to speed the process of replication. He has written various papers at the local and national levels and utilizes seminars, workshops, and activities to tap into existing civil society networks.Locally, the majority of villages in Lombok island will most likely adopt at least part, if not all, of Kamardi's initiatives and activities. Up until now, the local government has not had any clear concept regarding village autonomy, and Kamardi's model will provide an effective framework. In North Lombok, 25 villages have already started to design a concept to establish North Lombok District. The district will be built based on the principles outlined in Kamardi's minimal rural system. Thus, his initiative will contribute to the formation of a new district.
Kamardi has functioned as a resource regarding village autonomy in seminars and workshops held by regional governments throughout Indonesia. He has introduced his initiatives in Sumbawa, Kutai (Kalimantan), Palu and Toraja (Sulawesi), Bali, Lampung, and Bukit Tinggi (Sumatra).
At the national level, Regulation No. 22, which serves as the core of local autonomy (village and district), has been scheduled for revision. Kamardi has been nominated as a member of the revision team and expects to show that his ideas should be incorporated in the revised regulation because of their proven results and positive impact.

Kamardi grew up in a poor family in a village in North Lombok. As a child, he accompanied his mother to the village, helping her carry baskets of fish to the market. From an early age, Kamardi observed how communities are connected and how small-scale economic activities, like his mother's tireless work tie into larger markets. His mother continues to inspire his efforts to establish a framework that allows village women to earn a living and participate in the governance of their communities.
At his vocational high school, Kamardi studied agriculture and became active in community-based activities and organizations. After informally leading his village for some time, Kamardi was elected by his village to advocate on their behalf. In 2001 he began serving on the national Community Participation Development Forum and was appointed to an amendment team tasked with revising Regulation No. 22 on Local Autonomy, a measure aimed at improving village governance. The committee comprises chiefly leaders and experts in development and academia; Kamardi is the sole appointee of the 68,000 village heads across Indonesia. He now participates on the forum's steering committee, sharing his insights and deep understanding of what does and does not work in terms of local governance.
In addition to writing many papers, Kamardi has documented local customs and cultures of North Lombok. One resulting book, prepared in collaboration with the New Zealand government and the authority of the Mt. Rinjani National Park, has become a valuable reference for the guides and porters who operate tours in and around the park. In addition to indexing important customs that would otherwise be lost, Kamardi's book attracts tourists, a valuable source of revenue for the region.