Meet The Reformist Insiders
The winners of our first-ever writing competition are finally here. Their stories are worth the wait
Dear readers,
A few weeks ago, we asked public sector professionals from across the country to write about a personal, candid, and untold story behind a reform they had been a part of.
We are pleased to have received a strong field of submissions from all over Indonesia. From the islands of Nusa Tenggara to regional state institutions that rarely make headlines, it is incredible to learn that things are being done from within the system to initiate change.
The stories that came in reminded us exactly why we started this competition: the country is full of reformists doing unglamorous yet meaningful work in places away from the spotlight.
It is a tough decision to pick just five winners out of 46 strong submissions. Therefore, we decided to award 6 (six) of the best pieces we read.
This year’s winners
In no particular order:
“Dari Loket Tunai ke Bilik Virtual: Sebuah Cerita Reformasi Digitalisasi Daerah dari Sulawesi Tenggara”
(A Story of Digital Transformation from Southeast Sulawesi)
by Laode Buzyali Sanbigs from Bapenda Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara
—
“Poligon di Bawah Terik Matahari: Reformasi Sunyi Menuju Swasembada Pangan”
(Under the Scorching Sun: A Silent Reform towards Food Security)
by Muhammad Ridho Gunawan from Kementerian Pertanian
—
“Antara Nurani dan Birokrasi: Kemenangan Kecil di Persimpangan Perbatasan”
(When Empathy Meets Bureaucracy: A Small Win by the Border)
by Qistina Satriavi Yusuf from Kementerian Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia
—
“Sebuah Kisah dari NTB: Orkestrasi Kemitraan, Bergerak Bersama untuk NTB yang Lebih Baik”
(A Story of Orchestrating Partnership for a Better NTB)
by Maulida Illiyani from Bappeda Nusa Tenggara Barat
—
“Antara Dorongan Politis dan Hambatan Teknis dalam Implementasi Teknologi”
(Implementing Technology: Political Buy-In vs. Technical Hurdles)
by Edwin Iskandar Dinazar from Direktorat Jenderal Bea dan Cukai Kementerian Keuangan
—
“Peta Tumpang Tindih Informasi Geospasial”
(The Untold Story Behind Indonesia’s Geospatial Information Reform)
by Akbar Muammar Syarif from Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian
How we chose our winners
We asked ourselves these key questions as we read through your story:
On authenticity and personal stakes: How much did this story belong to you?
On reform insights: How much did we learn about your reform story?
On narrative depth and specificity: How detailed were you in describing your reform story?
On geographic and institutional freshness: Does this story come from an institution and/or region that rarely gets coverage?
On writing quality and readability: How well did your story flow from start to finish?
Congratulations to all winners, and thank you to everyone who participated in our first competition!
Tough choices had to be made, and the above framework has helped us with our scoring process. Above all, we want to show the world that there are reforms, big and small, being pushed from within the system by reformist public sector professionals. They are all worth telling, but in today’s limited space, we share with you six stories we hope you enjoy too!
Starting the week after Eid break, we will publish winning articles on our site, thereformist.id, so you can also read and learn more about meaningful reforms from all over the country, perhaps never heard before!
Warm regards,
The Reformist Desk