EMPOWERMENT AS MODEL DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES

Meirinawati
Lecturer of Public Administration Program, State University of Surabaya
meirinawati91@yahoo.co.id
ABSTRACT
Community empowerment, according Subejo and Supriyanto interpret empowerment
process is a deliberate effort to facilitate local communities in planning, deciding and managing
local resources owned by the collective action and networking so that in the end they have the
ability and independence economically, ecologically and socially. Community empowerment is
essentially an attempt to release the people from poverty and keterbelakanngan through increased
status and dignity. Community empowerment is closely related to sustainable development,
where people are expected to have the ability to use resources optimally in the mechanism of
production, economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner.
Community empowerment is a new alternative to make communities self-sufficient, so
that the community empowerment program is classified as an alternative development model.
The idea of an alternative development model as a result of the failure of the development model
that prioritizes economic growth to address poverty, the environment and various social
problems. Alternative development model emphasizes the importance of community
development that puts people at the center of development, through a bottom up approach and
locality. Defined as a locality-based empowerment of local communities to be self-sufficient.
Alternative development model based on the spirit of developing and encouraging people to be
more empowered and rule-making based on the principle of justice. This is characteristic of a
participatory development model means requires the participation and community involvement
in policy making from planning to monitoring to improve the quality of life that emphasizes on
meeting basic needs and human rights.
Approach to alternative development models implemented through the renewal of the
social construction of synergistic and simultaneous with physical capital, human capital, and
natural capital. This is done through two activities: 1). Models of Social Action, which
emphasizes participatory community development, 2). Sustainable models, such as the
development activities of community life that takes into account aspects of sustainability and
balanced synergy between social capital, human capital, physical capital and natural capital.
Alternative development concept emphasizes local initiatives, making local communities
self-sufficient, favor the interests of the people, environmental conservation, subsistence, and
empowerment that will eliminate marginalization and injustice that strengthen the community
sector.
Keywords: community development, alternative development models.

I. INTRODUCTION
Eight targets of Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) is to reduce poverty and
hunger, the realization of basic education for all, gender equality and empower women, reduce
child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV / AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
ensuring environmental sustainability life, and develop a global partnership for development
agreed by 189 UN member states. The first achievement of the MDG targets on poverty
reduction efforts are a prime target, because the World Bank has concluded that poverty in
Indonesia is not just 10-20% of the population living in absolute poverty, but there is another fact
that proves that less is more type-fifths or 60% of Indonesia's population is currently living
below the poverty line (Mardikanto and Soebiato, 2012: 25) efforts to alleviate poverty and
improve the welfare of society is an agenda that can be done through community empowerment.
A. EMPOWERMENT
The World Bank defines empowerment as an attempt to provide the opportunity and
ability to community groups (poor) to afford and dare to speak or meyuarakan opinions, ideas, or
ideas and the ability and courage to pick something (concepts, methods, products, actions, and
other etc.) for their personal, family and community (Mardikanto and Soebiato, 2012: 28).
Another opinion by Prijono and Pranarka mentioned as a learning process that is planned and
systematic efforts are implemented on an ongoing basis for both individual and collective, gunan
develop power (potential) and capabilities contained within the individual and group (Awang,
2010: 47). Based on the above definitions can be concluded that empowerment is an ongoing
effort conducted by a person or group to increase its potency and strength.
Community empowerment, according Subejo and Supriyanto in Mardikanto and Soebiato
(2012: 54) defines the process of community empowerment is a deliberate effort to facilitate
local communities in planning, deciding and managing local resources owned by the collective
action and networking so that in the end they have the ability and independence in economic,
ecological and social. Soetarso found empowerment has two meanings intrinsically interrelated:
a) an increase in the ability, motivation and role of all elements of society in order to be a lasting
resource to support all forms of social welfare, b). utilization of community resources that have
enhanced the ability, motivation and the role of society (Huraerah, 2011: 98). Thus, it can be
concluded that community empowerment is an attempt to release the people from poverty and
keterbelakanngan through increased status and dignity.
Community empowerment is a new alternative to make people independent or
empowered community. According to Ife in Awang empowered community indicators are:
1. Having the ability to prepare and use the institutions and resources that exist in society.
2. Can goes bottom up planning

3. Ability and economic activity

4. Ability to prepare the next day the family
5. Ability of expression and aspiration without any pressure (2010: 62).
According to Payne in Huraerah (2011: 99) basic goal is the empowerment of social
justice by giving peace to the greater community as well as learning through the development of
small steps in order to achieve a larger goal. Mardikanto and Soebiato has explained that the
purpose of community empowerment:
1. Removing the shackles of poverty and underdevelopment
2. Strengthening position in the economic structure of society and power.
In essence, the goal of community development is to improve the quality of life both
mentally, physically, economic and social culture.
Community empowerment can be achieved through three activities according to Jacob in
Zubaedi (2013: 81):
1. Attempting to liberate and enlighten the public, these events are subjective and msyarakat
favor of the oppressed in order to facilitate them in a process of awareness so as to allow the
birth of liberating themselves from poverty and underdevelopment.
2. Mobilizing community participation and self-help ethos.
The elements of community empowerment in Huraerah according Saraswati (2011: 100),
namely:
1. Learning by doing
That is, empowerment as a process of learning things and there are some concrete actions that
impact continuous visible.
2. Problem solving
That is, empowerment should give a sense of the perceived problem solving crucial to the way
and the right time.
3. Self Evaluation
That is, empowerment should be able to push a person or group to evaluate independently.

4. The Self development and coordination

That is, the push to be able to perform self-development and coordination of relations with the
other party more broadly.
5. Self selection
That is, a collection which grows as election effort and self-assessment in determining the
next steps.
6. Self decision
That is, to choose the appropriate action should have confidence in independently decide
everything
According Kartasasmita in Huraerah (2011:101) in an effort to empower people to do
with:
1. Creating an atmosphere or climate that allows the potential for developing communities by
encouraging, motivating and raising awareness of their potential and strive to develop it.
2. Strengthening potential, or power in the communities through concrete steps in opening up
opportunities for people to power.
3. Empowerment not only includes the strengthening of individual members of society, but also
institution-pranatanya.
4. Increasing public participation in decision-making
5. Empowering mememberi in the sense of protection and siding with the weak
Community empowerment is closely related to sustainable development, where people
are expected to have the ability to use resources optimally in the mechanism of production,
economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner. In the mechanism of production,
community development seeks to accommodate the use of production resources which include
land, livestock, capital and business equipment owned by the public so as to produce effectively
and efficiently. According Mardikanto and Soebiato, people generally have a good local
institutions set up by local governments or agreements grow naturally by its own citizens
associated with productive collaborative efforts. Failure organizing community groups to
production often occurs because in many cases are often motivated targets project-oriented,
generally after the project is completed the group will also be formed disbanded. In some local
communities, have grown some traditional institutions that had been used as a means to achieve
a more efficient production activities adapted to limited resources owned or controlled by the
local community. (2012:76) In terms of the mechanism of the market / economy is trying create
economic institutions / markets in order to increase people's access to markets. While the social
mechanisms associated with creating a stable social relationships that can be used by
masyarakat.Terkait ecological mechanisms, also supports the empowerment of communities to

manage and use ecological resources covering broad aspects of the environment such as rivers,
mountains, sea, including infrastructure such as roads, bridges , electricity, water, telephone and
other public facilities, on an ongoing basis.
According to Martinussen (Zubaedi, 2013: 148) explains that the concept of sustainable
development is the process by which people can meet their needs today without compromising
the opportunity of future generations to meet their needs. More specifically, according to
Suparjan and Hempri Suyanto in Zubaedi (2013: 148), sustainable development can be defined
as a development that maximizes the quality of life of the current generation that does not cause
a decrease in the quality of life of future generations. Quality of life includes aspects of
economic necessity, the need for a clean environment and healthy nature as well as the desired
level of social needs.
B. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AS AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL DEVELOPMENT
Community empowerment is a model approach to people-centered development to make
communities self-sufficient, so that the community empowerment program is classified as an
alternative development model. Idea of an alternative development model as a result of the
failure of the development model that promotes economic growth in addressing the problems of
poverty, environmental sustainability as well as a variety of problems social. The failure of the
model of development that promotes economic growth occurring in developing countries, as
follows:
1. Development does not result in progress, but further increased retardation.
2. Childbirth dependence of developing countries on developed countries.
3. Childbirth dependence periphery to the center.
4. Childbirth people's dependence on the state / government.
5. Childbirth dependence of small communities (workers, small businesses, farmers, fishermen
and others) to the owners of capital (Mardikanto and Soebiato, 2012: 57).
Alternative development model emphasizes the importance of community development
that puts people at the center of development, through a bottom up approach and locality. This
means that development initiatives and local community needs to be independent and active in
the development, favor the interests of the people, environmental conservation, subsistence, and
empowerment that will eliminate marginalization and injustice that strengthen the community
sector.
Locality-based approach to development is assumed to be one of the real forms of bias
towards local interests and putting local knowledge along with the skills of local workers at the
forefront of a wide range of activities. (Zubaedi, 2013: 142).

This is characteristic of a participatory development model means requires the

participation and community involvement in policy making from planning to monitoring to
improve the quality of life that emphasizes on meeting basic needs and human rights.
Community participation is not meaningful development activities and responsibilities
undertaken by government alone, but also demanded that public involvement will be improved
quality of life.
Definition of participation by Mubyarto in Huraerah (2011: 110), public participation is
community involvement in the development process where communities are involved starting
from the programming, planning and development, policy formulation and decision making.
Another opinion of the Huraerah Solomon (2006: 110), social participation is defined as active
involvement of citizens as individuals, groups, or the unity of the community in the process of
joint decision-making, planning and implementation of programs and services as well as
business development and social welfare within or outside of society on the basis of a sense of
social responsibility awareness.
Mardikanto and Soebiato, is a form of engagement and active participation and
volunteering both for reasons of the (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic in the whole process of the
related activities that include decision making in the planning, execution, control (pemantauam,
evaluation, supervision ) as well as the utilization of the results of activities achieved.
Yadav in Mardikanto and Soebiato (2012: 82) suggests four types of activities that
demonstrate community participation in development activities, ie participation in decisionmaking, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as participation in the utilization of
development outcomes.
1. Participation in decision-making.
In general, development programs do not reflect the wishes and needs of local communities,
especially communities because during the course of development is determined solely by the
central government. The program only accommodates the interests of a small group of ruling
elite. Therefore, the participation of the community should be involved in the decision making
process on development programs at the local level.
2. Participation in the implementation of activities
Community participation in the implementation of development is often defined as the
participation of many people (who are generally poor) to voluntarily contribute labor in the
construction. On the other hand, the layer above (the rich) benefit more from the development.
Community participation in the implementation of development is defined as the equitable
distribution of public donations in the form of labor, cash and other assistance in accordance
with the local community benefits as well as the maintenance of development outcomes.

3. Participation in the monitoring and evaluation of development.

Public participation to gather information relating to the development of the activities and
behavior of government officials.
4. Participation in the utilization of development
This participation is an important element because pemnbangunan goal is to improve the
quality of life much so that even distribution of development outcomes is the ultimate goal.
Besides, the utilization of the results will stimulate the development of community
participation in development programs that will come. In reality, participation in the
development of the utilization of the government's lack of attention often assume that with the
completion of construction, people will automatically feel the benefit, which occurred while
the community is not directly understand the benefits of each program development so that
the fruits of development to be in vain. For example, not exploited public toilets, garbage
cans, bus stops, community health centers, elementary Instruction and others.
According Ndraha, community participation includes the following activities:
1. Participation through premises contact the other party as a starting point between social
change.
2. Participation in response to the notice and member information, both in the sense of receiving
(obey, accept the terms) as well as in the sense of refuse.
3. Participation in development planning, including decision-making.
4. Participation in the implementation of operational development.
5. Participation in receiving, maintaining and developing the building.
6. Partisipasidalam assess development results (Huraerah, 2011:110)
As according to the Mardikanto and Soebiato Dusseldorp (2012: 84) identifies various
forms of participation activities undertaken by every member of society can be:
1. Become a community group members.
2. Immerse yourself in the group discussions.
3. Involve yourself in activities of the organization to mobilize the participation of the
community.
4. Mobilizing community resources
5. Taking part in the decision-making process.

6. Utilizing the results achieved from community activities.

Embodiments of community participation has any tendency of the government to the
public confidence that the community not only as an object or who enjoy building, but also as
subjects or agents of development. With the intention that the society has the potential and
willingness to be recognized starting from the planning, implementation, evaluation and use of
development outcomes.
On the other hand, public participation is sometimes hampered by the negative views that
people find it difficult to assess evolving. This view comes from people who do not understand
the actual state of society. Another reason for the government too long to make people dependent
on government. In the sense that people are more than happy to accept actively involved in the
development process.
According to Slamet in Fahrudin, (2010:43) states that the growth and development of
community participation in development, is largely determined by three main elements, namely:
1. Existence of the opportunity that is the atmosphere or the environment which the person is
aware that he has a chance to participate
2. Existence of the will that is the thing that drives / foster interest and attitude motivated them to
participate, for example in the form of benefits that can be felt over the participation
3. Existence of consciousness or ability that is the belief in himself that he has the ability to
participate, can be thought, energy, time or means and other materials.
Approach to alternative development models implemented through the renewal of the
social construction of synergistic and simultaneous with physical capital, human capital, and
natural capital. According Zubaedi, (2013:159) re-actualization of social development strategy
carried out through two activities:
1. Models of Social Action, which emphasizes participatory community development.
According Sumodiningrat in Mardikanto and Soebiato (2012: 47) community development
always involves two interrelated groups, which empowered the public as the party and the
party who care as empowering, for example Governmental Organization (NGO). Model of
social action in community development activities by NGOs known as moral movement that
prioritizes the development of quality social capital such as: adherence to a system of norms,
values, attitudes, beliefs, state culture, mutual trust, solidarity in working together, the
behavior of the collaboration, roles and rules, networks, interpersonal relationships, and
exemplary procedures, social organization, social linkages horizontally and vertically. This is
because among the four capital is social capital, physical capital, human capital and natural
capital, social capital it has a large proportion (approximately 75%) when compared to the

three other capital (Zubaedi, 2013: 160). Therefore, in this model seeks to increase the social
capital of society by growing and non-government idea itself.
According to Paulo Viera da Cunha and Maria Valeria Junho Pena in Zubaedi, (2013:160)
stated in this participatory approach to every citizen of the program target group is always
included in the planning, carrying out, enjoy and preserve the program. The hope is active
involvement of citizens in the organization and implementation of programs to realize the two
results. On the side of the datu would create a program run efficiently and according to the
needs of society, and on the other hand will mentradisikan beredemokrasi spirit among them.
2. Sustainable Model, a development activity that takes into account people's life aspects of
sustainability and balanced synergy between social capital, human capital, physical capital
and natural capital.
Like what Zubaedi disclosed, (2013:160) that investment in social capital in the form of
education, training and health generating sources of growth that are not as important as
investment in physical capital.
It can be said through community empowerment efforts are made to increase the social capital
that has been owned by the community. This is due to the social capital into one of the crucial
factors in the economic growth of the community, because there are networks, norms and trust
are becoming social cooperation for the benefit of society.
According to the World Bank in Zubaedi, (2013:163) states grim social capital relevant to the
economic development of a country. This is because social capital is a recipe for raising the
economic prospects of communities and nations, including improving educational facilities
and health, development of competent and accountable political institutions.
Opinions Putnam in Ancok evidence that growth berkoelasin konomi very positively with the
presence of social capital. Economic growth of a society will work well if the public has the
characteristic as follows:
a. The presence of a strong relationship between community members
b. The presence of the leaders honest and egalitarian who treat him as part of a community
rather than as a ruler
c. The existence of mutual trust and cooperation between elements of society. (Zubaedi,
2013:164).

II. CONCLUSION
Community empowerment is an attempt to release the people from poverty and
underdevelopment through increased pride and dignity, which in turn can create a society that is

self-contained. Community empowerment is closely related to sustainable development, that the

public are expected to have the ability to use resources optimally in the mechanism of
production, economic, social and environmentally sustainable manner.
Community empowerment is categorized as an alternative development model.
Alternative development model emphasizes local initiatives, creating independent local
communities, more people's interests, environmental protection, subsistence, and empowerment
that will eliminate marginalization and injustice that strengthen the community sector.
Approach to alternative development models implemented through two activities: 1).
Models of Social Action, which emphasizes participatory community development. This model
seeks to enhance the social capital of society by growing and non-government idea itself., 2).
Sustainable models, such as the development activities of community life that takes into account
aspects of sustainability and balanced synergy between social capital, human capital, physical
capital and natural capital.
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