Semarang, Wednesday, April 15, 2026 – The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Diponegoro University hosted an Interactive Dialogue with the Semarang City Council under the theme “Building an Accountable and Progressive Government.” The event was held at the Multimedia Laboratory on the FISIP Undip Campus Semarang. This dialogue served as a strategic forum to bring together legislative representatives, academics, and local government officials to discuss strengthening transparent, accountable, and sustainable development-oriented governance.
The event began with an opening ceremony, followed by presentations from speakers representing the three key elements of local government: the legislative branch, academia, and development planners. The first speaker was Suharsono, S.S., M.Si., Vice Chair of the Semarang City Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), who emphasized the importance of strengthening the DPRD’s role in ensuring local government operations remain within the framework of transparency and accountability. In his remarks, he stressed that a progressive government is not only measured by physical development but also by the extent to which the government is able to uphold the principles of public information transparency, equitable service delivery, and a commitment to addressing the needs of the community.
Furthermore, the discussion was enriched by the academic perspective presented by Prof. Dr. Dra. Kismartini, M.Si., a Full Professor at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Undip in Semarang. In her presentation, Prof. Kismartini emphasized that accountable governance requires a strong institutional foundation, a professional bureaucratic culture, and an effective oversight system. She also emphasized that the success of regional development heavily depends on the government’s capacity to design data-driven policies, strengthen bureaucratic integrity, and build public trust. According to her, universities play a crucial role in providing scientific perspectives and strategic recommendations to local governments through research and public policy analysis.
The next presentation was delivered by Budi Prakoso, S.T., M.T., Head of the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of Semarang City, who outlined the importance of the regional development planning process as the cornerstone of an advanced government. He explained that effective development planning must be systematic, measurable, and involve public participation through planning mechanisms such as the Development Planning Deliberation Forum (Musrenbang) and other public consultation forums. He also emphasized that development accountability lies not only in the final outcomes of programs but also in the transparency of the planning process, the efficiency of budget utilization, and the sustainability of implemented programs.
This interactive dialogue unfolded dynamically through discussion sessions and a Q&A with participants comprising the academic community of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Undip. Various strategic issues were discussed, ranging from the challenges of bureaucratic reform at the local level, strengthening budget transparency, and legislative-executive synergy in development, to the urgency of public engagement in monitoring public policy. The speakers agreed that accountable governance can only be realized through continuous cross-sectoral collaboration and healthy social control from the community.
Through this Interactive Dialogue with the Semarang City Council, FISIP Undip reaffirmed its commitment as an academic institution actively supporting the strengthening of local government governance. It is hoped that this forum will strengthen synergy between the Semarang City Council, the Semarang City Government, and the academic community in building a more transparent, responsive, and progressive government for the welfare of the people of Semarang.