Jakarta governor to send 10 urban village heads abroad to learn

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3 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo said he will send 10 finalists of the 2026 Benyamin Sueb Award overseas to learn about urban management and broaden their perspectives.

The initiative aims to give urban village heads opportunities to expand their knowledge and study how other countries manage their local communities.

“I have decided to give all 10 finalists an opportunity to see the world,” Pramono said at the award ceremony at the Pullman Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in Central Jakarta on Friday.

Potential destinations include Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and China.

He said the opportunity was important to prevent urban village heads from limiting their perspectives to the areas they currently oversee. He wants them to compare local governance with practices elsewhere.

“The point is to broaden their horizons rather than keep them confined to their own backyards. One problem is assuming we know best when our perspective remains limited to our own experience,” he said.

Pramono also urged the urban village heads to prepare for the trips, including by learning English to help them communicate during their overseas visits.

He emphasized that the opportunity would extend beyond the three winning urban villages to all 10 finalists of the 2026 Benyamin Sueb Award.

However, he did not provide details about the study program or how long the participants would stay overseas.

Pramono said funding for the trips would be managed transparently. “Whatever budget is allocated, it will be fully transparent. The matter falls under the authority of the Cooperation Bureau,” he said.

The Benyamin Sueb Award is a competition organized by the Jakarta provincial government to encourage urban villages to improve conditions and services in their respective areas.

This year’s competition attracted 52 urban villages, up from 27 participants last year.

However, participation remains well below Jakarta’s total of 267 urban villages. Pramono aims to have all of them enter the Benyamin Sueb Award next year.