Madina’s Election Countdown: Who Should Be the Next Leader?

Abdul Rozak Tanjung
Siala Sampagul Agricultural Group

Mandailing Natal (Madina) Regent Election Day will be held soon next year. The election will mark the end of the current regent’s mission who has been in power since the establishment of the region in 1998. He will not be legally allowed to go to the contest anymore since the latest regulation on local election stipulated that regent, governor and major must not continue their term when they have been in power for maximally two consecutive terms. The term itself is counted by the frequency of the election they have passed in at the same governmental level.

The legal regulation of establishing the district was the Law No 5 1974 and Law No 18 1998 and its commemoration was held in Panyabungan in 1998. Amru H Daulay was the first regent of the district when he assigned by former governor of the province in 1998 where he was serving as governor assistant for North Sumatra Province at Governance Area 1. The new region was solely ruled by him at the very beginning since ever he remains stand for a regent up to right now. There were obviously several regent elections occurred in the district within the last ten years. However, his political supporters and political machines always work properly so that he has been serving as the region within the last ten years as well. The main benefit of his standing in the region is the fact that the region has been staying in calm without any potential and crucial conflicts visible spreading to the public and national communities.

Madina was obviously among the first new districts within the North Sumatera Province within last ten years. The main reason of forming the area as the new district were the fact that its original district were quite big in geographical size compared to the rest districts within the province, its regional economic statistics which was sensible to be separated from its original region as well as the demands of its society and social elements to manage the region independently.

What has been obviously done by the regent? It is the next question to be honestly answered. I am interested in figuring out some achievements have been addressed by the regent and his apparatus within last ten years.

I left the region since the year of 1999; a year after the district was formally established. Some improvements have been made up particularly in the field of infrastructure development. I still remember that I couldn’t get my own village straight from the district’s capital city around the year at the time and there were no any luxurious governmental offices by the river in Panyabungan, the capital city of the district. Everything nowadays are getting much better where for instance we can easily reach governmental offices, public places as well as entertainment facilities. I must say that these kinds of stuff are the main things have been made by the regent through his efforts and his main counterpart in the legislative.

What has not been done by the regent? It is another question to be carefully answered. I am, firstly, interested in paying attention to educational sector development in which I used to focus my view in the region. I am amused that Madinians are rarely studying in the famous and prestigious universities within the country. There are actually some Madinians studying at such universities, yet to be honest, they graduated their high school education beyond the region. It is quite interesting to see also that most of Madinians studying at such universities hold a “special tickets” to enter into. I must say that this condition is actually the total failure of the regent to develop education, providing qualified schools and human resources within the region.

Education and human resources development is something must be set up by the next regent of the district immediately once he held the power. Providing new offices and education infrastructures are not enough to improve the education and human resources within the region. There must be appropriate and comprehensive steps to be taken by the new regent. Again, the regent itself must have academic honesty to start developing both sectors within the region. Is the regent must be coming from academic institution? It is not a guarantee in sense there are plenty teachers and university lecturers do not have academic honesty and they are not a techie, as the main requirement for being a future leaders.

I don’t have idea about the capacity of regent candidates spreading their vision and mission throughout the region last holiday in September 2009. But it is very important to probe them about their vision on both sectors if they win the election or hold the power. Madina have been left behind other districts within the province since the last ten years. It is a necessary that Madinian should re-think about the power succession within the region as well as the need of their engagement to be part of the region educational and human resources advocacy.

What should be done by the voters for coming election, particularly to select the new leaders who are able to help bring Madina to be a better region? There are some efforts need to be undertaken by insider and outsider who pay much their attention to the region. First of all, the first one must be conducted by academicians to start spreading their idea to the voters. The second one must be done by civil society organizations where they can do some political awareness campaign to their community. The third one must be done by political parties where they can use their political function and influence to born a best Madina Regent.