Berita Komunitas

Reforms that have been revolving since 1998 provides a broad impact on the change of government system. If the New Order government is highly centralized power, the reform gave birth to a power-sharing system that started distributed between the central government to local government. This is manifested in the decentralization system which legally born through Act No. 22 of 1999 on Regional Government which then led to the 1945 Second Amendment as stated in Chapter VI of the Regional Government of chapter 18, 18A, and 18B. Changes in state rules as above the region put into a central actor in the management of the republic in the principle of autonomy with its decentralization.

According to Prof. Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Chairman of the DPD Republic of Indonesia, "Change the rules concerning local government-is an affirmation of the constitution, that area becomes a central policy makers in government control and manage themselves according to the principles of autonomy and the duty of assistance (medebewind) and aimed to accelerate the realization of public welfare through increased service, empowerment, and community participation and increase the competitiveness of the region with due regard to principles of democracy, equality, justice, privilege, and specificity of a region in the system of the Republic of Indonesia.

Currently the implementation of regional autonomy has spawned significant changes, particularly related antarpelaku development, decision-making in the planning, implementation, and supervision of development. However, in practice regional autonomy is still facing obstacles that must be resolved or handling solutions seriously. One of the obstacles presented by Ginandjar Kartasasmita is the lack of creativity and community participation is more critical and rational. In the midst of an era of rapid globalization, people are expected to have staying power and high adaptability to be able to live life with a successful future.

To achieve community development goals to be more empowered, active participation, and full of creativity, the government gave a commitment that the international berlevel. This commitment has been signed in the UN Millennium Summit in 2002 along with 189 other countries. The commitment of all countries in the world to eradicate poverty and dikokohkan re-affirmed in the "Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development" agreed by the heads of state or head of government from 165 countries attended the Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2002. The results are then issued a declaration in the document "Implementation Plan for Sustainable Development Summit", which also was signed by the Indonesian government to be a reference in carrying out development in Indonesia with the target to eradicate poverty by 2015.

In a declaration from the participating countries implement the Millennium Development Goals or the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the MDGs, there are 8 (eight) objective (goal) is to be achieved until the year 2015 by countries in the world, including Indonesia, with the first goal is to overcome and / or eradicate poverty and hunger (United Nations, 2000).

Thus, the Indonesian government has made a national commitment to eradicate poverty within the framework of the implementation of sustainable development (sustainable development). Where the government and all the devices in all levels, both the central government, provincial, district / city together with the various elements of society bear the primary responsibility to achieve sustainable development and eradicate poverty as well as what happened in Indonesia in 2015 at the latest.

Although Indonesia took part in a global agreement implementing the MDGs to reduce poverty and improve the Human Development Index (HDI) that proclaimed the United Nations since 2000, but in the 2007 Human Development Report issued by the UNDP, shows that the human quality gets worse in Indonesia 10 years. In the report, HDI or a HDI of Indonesia is measured in real per capita income, life expectancy, literacy rate and quality of basic education, was ranked Indonesia is still below the state-other Southeast Asian countries. Indonesia's ranking from year to year always decreases from 110 to rank 112 out of 175 countries assessed UNDP (2003), although in 2006 there was an increase to 110 ranking (UNDP, 2007).

As we have experienced, this era is characterized by life changes fast, complex, full of risk, and full of surprises. Thus the individual, group or community should make efforts to come to change, adapt, or take control of change. On the other side of interdependence between the community, even the smallest, and the world as a totality, making it more difficult for an individual to face change alone. Moreover, the facts, such as fuel price increases, which is a change in the economic sector and energy sector will affect the lives of others.

Since 1960, birth of a concept called community empowerment Community Development (hereinafter referred to as CD). CD is a process of interaction networks in order to improve the capacity of a community, to support sustainable development, and development of quality of life of the community (United States Department of Agriculture, 2005). CD does not aim to seek and establish a solution, or problem-solving structure to bring services to the community. CD is working with communities so that they can define and handle problems, and open to express their own interests in decision-making process (StandingConference for Community Development, 2001).

Development of regional autonomy, which is directed at the active participation of the community is in accordance with the concept offered by the CD. Correspondence between the government policy with the concept of community empowerment as this CD takes the right approach in implementing them.

Approaches in community empowerment can be seen from the perspective of deficit-based and Strength Based. Deficit-based approach focused on a variety of existing problems and ways to completion. Success will depend on the identification and diagnosis of a clear response to the problem, solving the appropriate solutions, and application of these solutions. In practice, this approach can produce something good, but not closed the possibility of blaming the situation on the problems that occur.

On the other hand, Strengh Based approach (based on strength) with a product Appreciative Inquiry method focused on the potential or abilities possessed by individuals or organizations to make life better. Appreciative Inquiry is a method which transforms the human system capacity for positive change by focusing on positive experiences and future filled with hope (Cooperrider and Srivastva, 1987; Cooperrider et al., 2000; Fry et al, 2002; Ludema et al, 2000, in Gergen et al., 2004).

In the last ten years, Appreciative Inquiry to be very popular and practiced in various parts of the world, such as to change the culture of an organization, community transformation, creating organizational renewal, directs the process of mergers and acquisitions and resolve conflicts. In the social field, Appreciative Inquiry is used to empower the community outskirts, the city changes, build religious leaders, and create peace.