Executive Political Communication in Drafting Regional Revenue and

Expenditure Budgets in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia

INDRA KESUMA NASUTION1*, HERI KUSMANTO1, MUHAMMAD ARDIAN1,

FAIZ ALBAR NASUTION1, YOFIENDI INDAH INDAINANTO2

1Faculty of Social and Political Sciences,

Universitas Sumatera Utara,

Medan,

INDONESIA

2Faculty of Information Technology and Communication,

Universitas Semarang,

Semarang,

INDONESIA

*Corresponding Author

Abstract: - The political process of drafting the Regional Budget often raises debates about the collaborative

relationship between the legislature and the executive. This research aims to show the political communication

of regional heads in North Sumatra Province in preparing the Draft Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget

in collaboration with the Regional House of Representatives. This research uses a descriptive qualitative

research method combined with a literature study approach. Data were collected from literature studies through

journals, online media, and document reports to identify cases and problems. Data were analyzed to reduce,

present, and conclude. The research findings show that executive and legislative political communication in

North Sumatra Province has led to the possibility of conflict in the preparation of regional revenue and

expenditure budgets. This condition is motivated by differences in perceptions caused by the need for more

confidence and trust in the transparency of all work plans and programs. Actors in the Legislature and

Executive tend to adhere to widely held interpretations of the public interest. It is crucial to eliminate sectoral

egos and be mutually helpful to each actor to build a political communication network between the Executive

and Legislature that does not perceive hierarchical networks. Moreover, prioritizing work awareness is essential

in developing a shared commitment to regional development.

Key-Words: - Regional, Revenue, Expenditure, Budgets, Executive, Political, Communication, Indonesia

Received: May 12, 2023. Revised: December 6, 2023. Accepted: January 17, 2024. Published: March 15, 2024.

1 Introduction

The political process in Indonesia must be

connected to the sustainability of the existing

political system. The most influential components in

this system are the political infrastructure and

superstructure that are actively involved in the

political process. A political system contains many

political structures or institutions, such as the

Legislature and the executive, where individuals and

groups share the same worldview, beliefs, and

values, [1]. After the fall of the Suharto regime, the

Indonesian government began a new era known as

reform. A new style of decentralization emerged

during the reform era related to improving

Indonesia's political system, [2].

One of the changes from the centralized

government system is the decentralization system,

which is expected to encourage equitable

development, bring the state closer to the people,

and improve public services. Decentralization is

used in the reform era to give authority to local

governments. Decentralization is one type of

government policy that aims to bring the

government closer to the people by providing

services, [3]. As a result, services become more

equitable and tailored to the community's needs.

Decentralization aims to bring governance closer to

realizing the ideals of a more just and prosperous

society, [4].

The territory of Indonesia is an "Autonomous

Region" based on Law Number 23 of 2014

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concerning Regional Government. In the Unitary

States of the Republic of Indonesia, an autonomous

region, also known as a region, is a legal community

unit with territorial boundaries that regulates and

manages its government affairs and the interests of

the local community according to its interests. In

organizing government affairs, which are the

region's authority, each region forms a regional

apparatus consisting of assistants to the Regional

Head and the Regional People's Representative

Council (DPRD). In other words, the most crucial

aspect of the mechanism of regional government is

the necessity for the Regional Head and DPRD to

establish a synergistic working relationship through

their respective duties and functions.

Article 365 paragraph (1) of Law No. 17/2014

requires members of the Regional People's

Representative Council (DPRD) to fight for the

welfare of the people in their regions by prioritizing

the community's interests over personal and group

interests. In decision-making at the DPRD, there is

communication between DPRD members and the

parties that support them, as well as elements of

local government that act as executors. The DPRD

must approve the Regional Head's Draft Regional

Budget (RAPBD). However, because of the interests

of the parties involved, the preparation of the

RAPBD and the general policy direction of the

Regional Budget (APBD) is often a source of

conflict in the working relationship between the

Legislative and Executive. This is usually due to the

electoral history of Regional Heads, especially those

who lack the support of political parties.

Regional leaders may face potential conflicts

that can be observed through their political

communication. Suppose a Regional Head can build

good communication with members of the

Legislature. Similarly, the Regional Head must be

able to communicate and relate to his partners in the

DPRD through his political communication when

drafting the Draft Regional Revenue and

Expenditure Budget (RAPBD). Similarly, if the

communication pattern of the Regional Head does

not allow the formation of a strong cooperation

network, then conflict cannot be avoided.

The benefits of political communication for the

Regional Head include avoiding conflict with

DPRD members with different political interests,

which can disrupt the process of preparing the

Regional Budget (APBD). Effective political

communication can also help the election of

Regional Heads and make plans that are more

targeted to voters. Social media can be used as a

relevant channel for political communication,

expanding the number and type of actors that can

potentially shape the agenda and reach a wider

public through traditional media, [5]. Political

institutions and government services can utilize

social media resources to improve services and

communication with citizens and voters, [6].

Therefore, political communication networks are

essential for local leaders to build and maintain to

achieve their goals.

When dealing and negotiating with DPRD

members, the political communication of the

Regional Head becomes essential because the

communication patterns emerge to the conditions in

the field. Based on these problems, this research

aims to find out the political communication used by

several Regional Heads in North Sumatra Province

in the preparation of the Regional Budget Draft

(RAPBD) in collaboration with the Regional

People's Representative Council (DPRD), as well as

the political communication formed by several

Regional Heads in North Sumatra Province as a

result of their success in utilizing both formal and

informal communication.

2 Literature Review

Based on previous studies, decentralization is used

as governance of local natural resources that are

considered successful in the frequency of higher

local actors interactions; the activity of local solid

non-government actors in polycentric governance is

more successful, [7]. In addition, decentralization is

not seen as an instrument of the interests of political

parties and the power struggle. These dynamics

harm environmental governance and the Mexican

democratic process, [8]. Previous research also

shows that decentralization countries that produce

government institutions are relatively less respectful

and do not consider other government institutions to

be better than each other, [9]. Decentralization

includes the community in the formation of policies

to create fair policies. On the other hand,

community participation is often considered only as

manipulation of participation, causing the impact of

incumbent causal on the election results and

connecting these effects with changes in access to

citizens to local public services, [10].

Brekke emphasizes pragmatic sensitivity

that tries to make practical decisions, whereas

economists are committed to decentralization in

response to network control and monitoring in

making economic decisions Hacker-engineers and

their economies: The political economy of

decentralized networks and ‘cryptoeconomics’, [11].

In addition, the a need to encourage fiscal

decentralization and further improve the assessment

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of the political risk index to achieve a high level of

financial development, [12]. Furthermore, observing

the leadership of each region that has long had no

influence, they provide an elite support basis with

each leadership having the diversity of the elite

political ideology and connect each individual with

a measure of political ideology originating from the

contribution of campaign funds, [13].

Decentralization also influences policy formation as

a form of political autonomy for each region. In

formulating policies, the local government chooses

many directions of public policy in decision-making

that are influenced by several factors, namely

productive structure, government ideology, social

capital, political context, and budget resources, [14].

The phenomenon of the dynamics of

political communication often occurs in the

preparation of the APBD in Indonesia. The Regional

Revenue Budget (APBD) is a form of performance

and local government programs with the extent of

the government's alignments with the community.

This condition impacts ineffective services and

hampered development programs, [15]. Meanwhile,

the case that can be observed by looking at the

South Buru Regency Government with the DPRD in

the discussion of the APBD looks offensive in

dialogue on the preparation of the draft and

formulation of the APBD. The executive and

legislative institutions only negotiate and lobby

related to project interests, [16].

In contrast to Septiana's research which

highlighted that political communication between

the Regent and the DPRD in Kapuas Regency has

been going well but needs to be more optimal,

which can be seen from the weak lobby in preparing

the APBD. Therefore, the importance of the

approach through political communication to

facilitate the design and determination of the APBD,

[17]. The Hanida study shows the dynamics of the

preparation of regional budgets in the Sleman

Regency. The Regional Work Unit (SKPD)

preparation does not show a priority scale due to the

ego sectoral in the SKPD proposal planning process.

Egosectoral is characterized by a legislative body

that only prioritizes constituents' interests rather

than the community's benefit, [18].

3 Method

This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach

through literature studies. Qualitative research was

conducted with a descriptive analysis to provide a

clear, objective, systematic, and critical picture of

the Executive political communication network in

preparing regional revenue and expenditure budgets

in North Sumatra Province. This study uses data

analysis through literature studies as a reference to

see cases and problems found. A literature study is a

method used to gather information related to a topic

being explored in a particular study, [19].

Data is collected from literature studies

through journals, online media, and document

reports to identify cases and problems. The data

collected is analyzed by the descriptive analysis

method, which includes writing facts examined

through analysis without being too rushed and

providing an appropriate understanding and

explanation. Data analysis is done through data

reduction, presentation, and conclusion, [20]. In

addition, conducting data validity through

triangulation by checking the data that has been

obtained through several sources.

4 Results

4.1 Regional Government Coordination

The Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget

Plan (APBD) preparation explains that the regional

government must share aspirations with the

community to design the Standard of the Business

Work Plan (RKU). However, community

participation in budget preparation is minimal and is

only represented by the regional elite and Executive,

[21]. This condition allows the political elite and the

government to build political contracts. Community

participation is a manipulative form of local and

government elite in establishing a budget, [22].

Regional Original Revenue Conflict (PAD) and

Asset Management. This happens because of the

lack of understanding and unclear allocation of

regional wealth between Provinces and

Regencies/Cities, including sectors such as taxes,

management of natural resources, sea, and mining.

The different perceptions arising from an

attitude of no confidence is one of the factors

causing stakeholders' coordination to experience

obstacles, [23]. These conditions can be proven in

the Plenary Meeting of the Medan City Regional

Representative Council (DPRD) in the Agenda

Ratification of the Regional Budget (APBD) of the

2023 budget year of 7.86 trillion Rupiahs which was

only attended by eight members of the council plus

three board leaders from 50 Medan City Council

Members, [24]. This condition reinforces the

importance of coordination in determining the

APBD for the benefit of the community. The

problem of the lack of council members places an

unharmonious situation on the Executive and

Legislative. The planned planning in the

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formulation process becomes one aspect of every

agreed decision to influence the Executive policy.

Delivering opinions from the Legislature that leaves

the forum will provide a domino effect in the field.

In realizing development (infrastructure and

human resources), coordination is essential as a

form of organizational life as stipulated in the Law,

[25]. In practice, friction often occurs due to a lack

of communication which is an essential factor in

improving coordination for a decision [21]. The

coordination aspect involves one party and various

parties with different tasks, such as the Legislature

forming laws and the Executive implementing them.

In the process, communication plays a role in

conveying the desire for the decision plan to be

implemented in policy. This policy is the foundation

for the Executive to underpin every development in

the field. Thus, coordination can be more

harmonious and impact the community so that the

community can assess whether each policy is

detrimental or beneficial.

Fig. 1: Local Government Coordination Process

Local government coordination between the

Executive and the legislature is a process that

involves several key elements, including

Coordination, Communication, decision-making,

policy integration, and performance (Figure 1).

Firstly, Coordination involves implementing

changes in policy or practice that require crossing

internal administrative boundaries within a given

local agency. It is a form of broader contact based

on some common goal. Second, Communication is

essential for effective Coordination. It involves

sharing information and ideas among the various

actors involved in governance.

Third, Decision-making by actors involved in

governance should consider the essence of

Coordination. This condition allows that decisions

should be made to achieve policy integration and

coherence. Fourth, Policy integration involves the

creation of greater coordination and policy

integration to address issues of duplication, waste,

and sectoral ego. Fifth, performance is an essential

element in local government coordination. It

involves measuring the effectiveness of policies and

practices and making necessary adjustments to

achieve better results. Thus, to ensure effective

Coordination, several prerequisites must be met,

including political support, leadership,

Communication, and commitment at all levels.

These conditions make communication in

increasing coordination a vital part that is the focus

of attention in realizing every policy. Mentioned by

the Governor of North Sumatra gathered each

Regional Head in North Sumatra for a coordination

meeting to accelerate, accuracy and absorption of

the Regency/City Regional Budget in 2022 and the

Infrastructure Development Plan, [26], [27], [28],

[29]. The impact of this good coordination will

increase the absorption of regions in North Sumatra,

which continues to increase. The economy of North

Sumatra Province in the first quarter of 2022

experienced the highest growth of 7.78 percent. In

addition, in terms of expenditure, the highest growth

in the export component of goods and services is

14.64 percent. This condition places the North

Sumatra Province contributed to the Gross Regional

Domestic Product (GRDP) on the island of Sumatra

by 22.92 percent, followed by Riau Province at

24.56 percent, South Sumatra Province at 13.05

percent, Lampung Province at 9.64 percent. At the

same time, the lowest contribution is Bengkulu

Province, with 2.10 percent.

Nevertheless, the Province of North Sumatra

entered into the 20 lowest regions of the APBD

absorption in 2022 in Indonesia, Pematang Siantar

City, Padang Sidempuan, Medan, and Padang

Lawas, [30]. This condition places coordination

between local governments becomes essential to

accelerate the growth of infrastructure and human

development. Communication between the

government elite will increase synergy in good

development. There are several strategies for

increasing coordination. It is, first, increasing trust

between regional heads who support every decision

that has been set. It was second, working on the

interests of the people who eliminate sectoral ego in

realizing effective and efficient work. Third, open

and transparent in every plan and implementation of

work programs. This strategy is vital to provide

guaranteed quality development. The application of

these strategies can have a significant impact on

community performance and involvement.

4.2 Potential Legislative and Executive

Conflicts

Differences in interests between the Legislative and

Executive branches frequently result in conflicts that

impede the determination of regional revenue and

expenditure budgets. The Legislature has two

interests: public interests brought by the aspiration

net (voters, parties, commissions) and public

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interests in the community's overall welfare.

Meanwhile, Executive priorities include program

proposals, regional work unit budgets, and

community development discussions. The

Legislative and Executive branches may clash due

to competing public interests. A potential conflict

was revealed during the preparation and

determination of the Medan City Budget (APBD)

2022, which 11 out of 50 attended. Various potential

conflicts may arise, ranging from individual DPRD

members to an Executive (SKPD). Other potentials

stem from the procedure for implementing

operations that are not understood by members of

the council in the field, as well as the process of

carrying out budget supervision that is caused by

members of the board's lack of skills and knowledge

about the budget's origin, which weakens the

supervisory function.

The communication pattern between them

differs in terms of the communication structure in

the communication process. Transactional and

network communication are two types of

communication patterns between the legislature and

the executive. These patterns affect each individual

and play an essential role in communicating effects.

The executive and the legislature establish a

cooperative process for sending and receiving

messages accountable for their effectiveness in a

transactional communication pattern. Although they

have different tasks, the executive and legislative

can be communicators and communicators in

drafting APBD. Both have responsibilities to their

respective institutions.

Meanwhile, network communication patterns

refer to specific channels or roads that individuals

and groups use to exchange information. There are

formal and informal communication networks. The

formal network is the system structure that

determines who communicates and speaks with

whom, including finishing a task. Individuals from

the executive and legislative branches communicate

by representing each of the tasks that must be

completed. The DPRD's APBD budget formulation

system is an example of formal communication in

action. Meanwhile, an informal communication

network forms between the two and cannot be

managed. Call it the discussion, friendship, and

synergy outside the APBD budget formulation

mechanism's system structure.

Inter-institutional communication, such as that

between the executive and legislative branches,

frequently results in conflicts caused by the

emergence of sectoral egos with the justification of

each institution. Sectoral ego is a term used in

Indonesian communication to describe the proclivity

of various government agencies or departments to

prioritize their interests over the common good. This

term refers to any significant institution that

prioritizes collaboration and synergy. The sectoral

ego can be seen in both the executive and legislative

branches, where they are suspicious of one another

and prioritize the interests of their institutions.

Often conflicts over APBD pressure are caused

by procedures for implementing determinations that

do not meet the requirements of board members at

meetings. As happened in Samosir Regency, The

Plenary Meeting to Improve the Regional Revenue

and Expenditure Budget (P-APBD) for Samosir

Regency in 2022 failed twice because there needed

to be a quorum and the mandate of the laws and

regulations. The meeting that was supposed to pass

the draft Regional Regulation P-APBD for the 2022

Fiscal Year at the Budget Agency Report meeting

failed because there was no quorum, [31]. Again,

this condition triggers an inharmonious relationship

between the Legislature and the Executive. As a

result, the impact of the implementation process at

the Regional Work Unit (SKPD) level needs to be

increased. The process of postponing the APBD

meeting indicates conflict caused by unpreparedness

in formulating, understanding, and overseeing every

decision.

Running the state government with a power

distribution system allows coordination or

cooperation. This means the second position is

parallel, allowing power to influence each other.

What happened at the Samosir APBD meeting,

which continues to be delayed, impacts the

Executive level. It is vital to improve the working

relationship between the Executive and Legislative

by putting aside individual interests and groups and

prioritizing the interests of society. The smooth

development requires the harmonious cooperation

of the two Lembanga. Call, the DPRD has a budget

monitoring task while the Executive runs a budget

in various forms. Weak supervision skills from

board members caused not to master the budget

management regulations will impact the quality of

implementation at the Executive level. The quality

of Legislative and Executive human resources is an

essential factor in the preparation process, and the

stipulation of regulations avoids potential conflicts.

4.3 Organizational Communication Network

between Legislative and Executive

Actors

Several dimensions can be considered when

analyzing a communication network. First, the

network function focuses on how the network

functions within the organization; second, the level

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of connectedness describes the ratio between the

actual relationship and the possible relationship;

third, centrality/decentralism is the connectedness

between individuals and groups; and fourth, the

Degree of Separation is the number of relationships

that exist between communicating individuals, [32].

First, the network function between the legislature

and the executive creates a network structure that

emphasizes networks with a power or influence

approach that focuses on authority or

instrumentality. According to the North Sumatra

DPRD Legislature, its authority is limited to the

implementation stage, whereas the executive has

authority over the formulation and determination of

the APBD budget. This condition prioritizes the

network process's regularity of authority in making

decisions.

Second, consider your level of connectedness.

The executive initiates the proposal process and

then coordinates with the Legislature. Because the

influence of these relationships has a relationship in

building norms or regulations, it is necessary to

draft, validate, and supervise very high connectivity.

At the same time, the executive is reliant on

regulations for implementation. Third, there is

centrality and decentralism. The executive and the

legislature have a strong connection between

internal organizational groups. There is a Regional

Work Unit (SKPD) for the executive, and

commissions have authority in the Legislature. Each

has the freedom to associate, so they are all

connected. This implies that each group plays an

important role.

Fourth. Limited authority in determining the

APBD at the Provincial and Regency/City levels

constitutes a degree of separation. The

implementation process begins with the local

government (North Sumatra Provincial Government

and Regency/City Government) submitting to

DPRD a draft regional regulation on APBD, along

with documents and explanations. The DPRD then

decides whether or not to accept the draft regulation.

Furthermore, if the DPRD agrees, the RAPBD is

applied through regional regulations to become the

APBD. After regional regulations specify the

APBD, its implementation is detailed in a

Governor/Mayor/Regent Decree. This decision is

the foundation for each SKPD's implementation in

the field. Four degrees of separation occur when the

APBD is determined in North Sumatra Province.

Political communication that exists between

Legislative and Executive actors is established in

the form of formal and informal organizational

communication. This communication encourages

the political communication network to form and

influence the attitudes of various political activities

such as joint meetings, preparation, ratification, and

supervision of the APBD. The network between

actors can determine whether a decision will

provide specific interests, in the view of, [33].

Formal organizational communication is official

communication. A network of formal structural

organizations follows the chain of command and

authority hierarchy. This condition places the

ratification of the APBD at the Provincial level and

the City/District level involving the Executive and

Legislature in the form of organizational

communication.

However, the activities that occur in it reflect

the actions of political communication. Every actor

involved represents himself and an organization,

including the atmosphere of the public interest. Said

the North Sumatra Provincial Prosperous Justice

Party Faction rejected the increase in fuel that was

delivered during the plenary meeting of the Draft

Regional Regulation of the North Sumatra APBD

2023. The increase in fuel was considered

burdensome after the Pandemic, [34]. This means

there are different interpretations of the public

interest in determining political attitudes within a

Legislative organization. This condition places the

organizational network to determine the

organizational command hierarchy of the

Prosperous Justice Party, which considers the

increase in fuel oil (BBM) not worthy of promotion

and continued political activities in the Legislature.

The organizational communication network is

vital in creating awareness of building a shared will

for the public interest. In implementing budget

applications, the organizational network also voiced

injustice arising from procedural planning,

discussion, and approval between the Legislature

and executive. Thus, amendments to the North

Sumatra Province Regional Budget (P-APBD) of

the 2019 Budget Year were passed even though the

number of board members who attended still needs

to reach the quorum. This condition is contrary to

the law. As a result, the Chairman of the North

Sumatra DPRD was called, [35]. Awareness seeing

these procedural defects reflects the importance of

political participation in guarding every political

activity.

At the Executive level, the interpretation of

informal organizational communication networks is

applied to creating awareness in building shared

abilities. Its application provides maximum effort in

several forms. First, ordered all Regional Apparatus

Organizations (OPD) of the North Sumatra

Provincial Government to realize the budget so that

the use of the budget can be done optimally, [36].

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Second, the application of policies must reflect on

target for public purposes. This condition refers to

the quality of development that is still slow in

providing services to the community.

The impact of the organizational

communication network formed in actors between

Legislative and Executives strengthens political

activities in realizing political attitudes. The

organizational communication network can

encourage every legislative, executive, and

community organization to bring up bargaining

positions to fight for the public interest. What is

reflected in the determination of the Medan City

Budget (APBD) 2022 and Samosir shows the

organizational communication network between

Legislative and weak Executives. This impacts

political activities in formulating, discussing, and

ratifying the low bargaining position for public

purposes. As a result, the political products

produced only benefit one party for specific public

purposes.

Political products between the Legislative and

Executives, such as the APBD, are prepared at the

local government level using the performance

approach. Thus, the R-APBD 2023 Medan City

agreement experienced an increase of Rp 7.64

trillion. The 2023 Regional Revenue and

Expenditure Budget (R-APBD) was immediately

outlined as a Regional Regulation. The Mayor of

Medan explained that the R-APBD aims to continue

the Medan City development priority program.

Especially for road improvement and drainage, [37].

This means that development needs are one of the

factors of the APBD planning and ratification

process to be carried out.

Preparing a budget that is very concerned about

the continuity between the planning and budgeting

process in written documents often causes the

problem of the formulation of the R-APBD to drag

on, is less effective, and is not by the substance. As

happened in the Samosir Regency R-APBD and

Medan City. Consistency and synchronization in

planning, budgeting, implementing, supervising, and

evaluating frequent friction of interests. Each actor,

from the Legislature and Executive, tends to

maintain the interpretation of believed public

interests. It is vital to prioritize aspects of

occupational awareness in building joint will to

realize the development.

5 Discussion

Coordination between legislative and executive

governments prioritizes communication in

conveying coordination messages to realize the

increasing absorption of regional budgets in North

Sumatra. The formal communication between the

two institutions has a variety of interactive levels.

Pematangsiantar City, Medan City, Padang

Sidempuan City, and Padang Lawas District in

North Sumatra Province have the lowest absorption

of the 2022 APBD. One aspect of the bottleneck is

poor coordination communication. The importance

of communication in forming coordination is an

integral part of increasing the uptake of regional

budgets in North Sumatra Province, which is

increasing. The communication style adopted by the

local leadership has significantly impacted North

Sumatra's economy, which has grown. Coordinating

communication builds trust between institutions,

eliminates sectoral egos, and is transparent because

stakeholders always emphasize these conditions.

Differences in interests and roles between the

legislature and the executive can trigger conflict.

Coordination and trust are not the only outcomes of

communication. Instead, it can foster sectoral egos

among institutions. These conditions are

inextricably linked to developing ideas,

communicating, and interpreting messages

influenced by interests and background. Sectoral

ego is one of the effects of the ongoing

communication process, as public interest has

different interpretations and limited authority. The

communication patterns between the legislature and

the executive, transactional communication patterns,

and network communication assign individual and

institutional responsibility to the communication

formed. Because of this condition, the coordination

communication process has limited authority.

Individuals are not free to communicate because

their identity is linked to the institution's identity. A

distrustful and suspicious attitude caused the slow

budget formulation and approval process.

Individual identities are linked to institutions

(executive and legislative) to form a political

communication network between individuals. Both

institutions emphasize network regularity, power or

influence, and authority or instrumentality. Each

institution's limited authority creates a degree of

separation. The public interest has a strong influence

on this degree of separation. According to the North

Sumatra Legislative Council, its authority is limited

to the implementation stage. At the same time, the

executive has only the authority to formulate and

determine the Regional Revenue and Expenditure

Budget (APBD). Starting with preparation,

approval, and supervision, this condition

emphasizes a high level of connectedness.

Political products resulting from the legislature

and executive collaboration, such as the Regional

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DOI: 10.37394/232015.2024.20.9

Indra Kesuma Nasution, Heri Kusmanto,

Muhammad Ardian, Faiz Albar Nasution,

Yofiendi Indah Indainanto

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Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD), are rife

with political and group interests. This condition can

be seen in the budget preparation process, which

emphasizes the continuity of the planning and

budgeting processes. The Draft Regional Revenue

and Expenditure Budget (RAPBD) formulation

tends to be lengthy, ineffective, and not by its

substance. Conflicts of interest are frequently

caused by consistency and synchronization in

planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring,

and evaluation. To create a shared will for

development, it is critical to prioritize the aspect of

work awareness. A degree of separation in the

communication network emphasizes the importance

of collaboration awareness.

The political communication of regional heads

with the Legislature is essential in preparing the

Draft Regional Budget (RAPBD). This is because

the Legislature is responsible for approving the

budget, and they need to have a clear understanding

of the priorities and needs of the region to make

informed decisions. Effective communication

between local heads and the Legislature can help

ensure that budgets reflect local needs and are

approved promptly. It can also build trust and

cooperation between groups to benefit future budget

negotiations and other policy decisions. Therefore,

effective communication between the regional head

and the Legislature is essential to ensure that the

regional budget aligns with the needs and interests

of the people of North Sumatra Province.

6 Conclusion

The research findings show that Executive and

Legislative attitudes in North Sumatra Province

have led to the possibility of conflict in the

preparation of regional revenue and expenditure

budgets. This condition is due to differences in

perception caused by suspicion and distrust of

transparency of all work plans and programs.

Determining the Medan City and Samosir Regency

Revenue and Expenditure Budget shows the need

for more organizational communication between the

Legislature and the Executive. This condition

hampers coordination in preparing regional revenue

and expenditure budgets. There are several ways to

improve coordination. First, they are increasing trust

among regional leaders who support every decision.

They are second, working for the benefit of the

community to eliminate sectoral ego in pursuing

effective and efficient work. Third, every work plan

and its implementation is open and transparent. This

strategy is crucial to ensure the quality assurance of

development. The implementation of this strategy

has the potential to have a significant impact on

community performance and involvement.

Eliminating sectoral ego and forming a helpful

attitude in each actor is crucial to building a political

communication network between the Executive and

Legislative regions that do not consider the

hierarchical network. This condition, influenced by

each Legislative and Executive actor, tends to

maintain the broad interpretation of the public

interest. To create a joint will for development, it is

crucial to prioritize aspects of occupational

awareness. The limitation of the research is not to

consider the negative impact of the preparation of

the North Sumatra Province Regional Revenue and

Expenditure Budget on the socioeconomic aspects

of the community. Further research should replicate

this research by investigating the impact of

establishing an excellent political communication

network between the Executive and Legislative in

preparing the regional revenue and expenditure

budget, both from the social and economic

perspectives of the community.

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Contribution of Individual Authors to the

Creation of a Scientific Article (Ghostwriting

Policy)

- Indra Kesuma Nasution and Heri Kusmanto

contributed to the research concept, framework,

and notion.

- Muhammad Ardian for amassing an assortment of

policy documents and literature.

- Faiz Albar Nasution for describing the research

phenomenon and implementing the concepts.

- Yofiendi Indah Indainanto for conducting

secondary data research and organizing the

grammar and social academic analysis.

Sources of Funding for Research Presented in a

Scientific Article or Scientific Article Itself

This research has no funding from any party

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

(Attribution 4.0 International, CC BY 4.0)

This article is published under the terms of the

Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

_US

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2024.20.9

Indra Kesuma Nasution, Heri Kusmanto,

Muhammad Ardian, Faiz Albar Nasution,

Yofiendi Indah Indainanto

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

86

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