Audience of the Ministry of Defense’s Research and DA at Statistic of South Kalimantan Province

Banjarbaru – Statistic of South Kalimantan Province welcomed a team from the Ministry of Defense’s Research and Development Agency (Balitbang Kemenhan) on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, for an audience regarding data requests to develop the Regional Defense Index for Kalimantan. Colonel Sulaiman Nur, a senior researcher at Balitbang Kemenhan, explained that the purpose of their visit was to obtain the necessary data to assess the defense conditions in Kalimantan, particularly in South Kalimantan. Statistic of South Kalimantan Province responded positively, preparing a team to provide the requested data to Balitbang Kemenhan. Najwa Dauli, Coordinator of the IPDS function at Statistic of South Kalimantan Province, opened the meeting by explaining the sources of data managed by BPS, which are collected through censuses/surveys and secondary data from administrative registration processes of various agencies.

The audience began with a presentation on the Human Development Index (HDI) and poverty in South Kalimantan by Ahmadi Murjani. In his presentation, Ahmadi highlighted several key points, including that the poverty rate in South Kalimantan is the lowest in Indonesia, with Banjar Regency having the lowest poverty percentage in the province. The HDI of South Kalimantan stands at 71.28, which is categorized as high. Of the three dimensions forming the HDI, only one—decent living standards—exceeds the national figure, while the other two dimensions, longevity and health, and knowledge, remain below the national average.

Following the discussion on HDI and poverty, the audience continued with a presentation on the Indonesian Democracy Index (IDI) by Nurul Sabah, the Coordinator of the Social Statistics function at BPS South Kalimantan. Nurul explained that the calculation method for the 2021 IDI differs from the method used from 2009-2020. The old method focused solely on political components, whereas the new method includes indicators related to social and economic conditions. This methodological difference makes the 2021 IDI incomparable to the previous years. In 2021, South Kalimantan’s IDI was 79.47, categorized as moderate, and placed 20th out of 34 provinces nationwide.

The final presentation was delivered by Najwa Dauli, who discussed crime data in South Kalimantan, sourced from the South Kalimantan Regional Police. She noted that drug-related crimes are among the most prevalent types of criminal activity in the province.

In response to the presentations from Statistic of South Kalimantan Province, Colonel Sulaiman Nur expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the comprehensive and detailed information provided.

"I am truly grateful to BPS for the very detailed and comprehensive presentations. Extremely thorough," said Colonel Sulaiman Nur.

In closing, Najwa Dauli expressed BPS’s hope that they can assist the Balitbang Kemenhan team in better understanding BPS data, preventing misinterpretation, and exploring further information. She also highlighted that BPS offers other data services through the website kalsel.bps.go.id and the data self-service center, which is accessible at any time.