Upaya untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan melalui penanggulangan kemiskinan dan pengurangan pengangguran merupakan prioritas utama pembangunan. Untuk meningkatkan efektivitas penanggulangan kemiskinan dan penciptaan lapangan kerja, pemerintah meluncurkan Program Nasional Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (PNPM) Mandiri mulai tahun 2007.
Program PNPM Mandiri menyiapkan landasan kemandirian masyarakat berupa lembaga kepemimpinan masyarakat yang representatif, mengakar dan kondusif bagi perkembangan modal sosial (sosial capital) masyarakat di masa mendatang yang disebut dengan Lembaga Keswadayaan Masyarakat (LKM).
Dalam prakteknya seringkali ditemukan adanya perbedaan keberhasilan antara satu LKM dengan LKM lain di wilayah yang berbeda. Persoalan perbedaan keberhasilan antara satu LKM dengan LKM lain merupakan suatu persoalan yang perlu ditelusuri untuk perbaikan Implementasi program ke depan sehingga pemerataan pembangunan yang dicita-citakan dapat diwujudkan.
Pelaksanaan Program PNPM Mandiri perkotaan di LKM Bina Budi Mulya lebih mencerminkan community-based development dibanding LKM Ratujaya. Pada imlementasi program PNPM Mandiri di Kelurahan Pancoran Mas, pendekatan community-based development cukup berhasil dilaksanakan. Masyarakat sudah dilibatkan sejak proses perencanaan, dimana masyarakat sendiri yang memilih pengurus LKM dengan mekanisme voting. Berbeda halnya dengan Kelurahan Ratujaya dimana implementasi prinsip community based development menjadi sangat rumit dilakukan sebab sejak dana bergulir sudah tidak ada dan LKM sudah jarang rapat bahkan selama penulis mengadakan penelitian selama hampir 3 bulan dari Januari hingga Maret belum pernah diadakan rapat LKM satu kalipun.
Pengelolaan Program Nasional Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (PNPM) Mandiri sangat menekankan prinsip-prinsip diantaranya: bertumpu pada pembangunan manusia, otonomi, desentralisasi, berorientasi pada masyarakat miskin, partisipasi, kesetaraan dan keadilan gender, demokrasi, transparansi dan akuntabel, prioritas, kolaborasi, keberlangsungan dan sederhana. Pada implementasi program dilapangan prinsipprinsip tersebut terlaksana lebih cenderung ke arah ekonomi dan perputaran ekonomi bergulir. Jika pelaksanaan dilapangan terus-menerus hanya berkutat seputar masalah ekonomi tanpa penguatan substansi prinsip-prinsip PNPM Mandiri maka LKM akan terperangkap dalam ekonomi bergulir. Lembaga LKM yang sejatinya dimaksudkan untuk menumbuhkan nilai-nilai universal kemanusiaan lama-lama jadi tidak dapat diwujudkan karena peran LKM yang menyempit menjadi semacam lembaga mikro kredit bagi masyarakat kelurahan.
Upaya pemberantasan kemiskinan harus dilakukan secara bersama-sama baik oleh pemerintah maupun swasta. LKM memiliki peran mengembangkan jaringan LKM di tingkat Kecamatan, kota, sebagai mitra kerja pemerintah dan wahana untuk menyuarakan aspirasi masyarakat. Keberhasilan implementasi program PNPM Mandiri di suatu kelurahan sangat tergantung pada kinerja pimpinan kolektif LKM. Sedangkan institusi LKM akan berkembang mencapai kemandirian tergantung pada sejauhmana kemampuan pimpinan kolektif secara bersama-sama mengelola institusi LKM secara lebih profesional.
The effort to increase prosperity through the troubleshooting of poverty and decreasing unemployment is the main priority of development. To increase the effectiveness of poverty troubleshooting and vacancy creating, the government has launched The National Program of Society Empowerment (PNPM) Mandiri since 2007.
PNPM Mandiri program prepares the basis of society autonomy as society leadership institution which is representative, embedded, and conducive for the progress of society?s social capital in the future which is mentioned as The Institution of Society Innate Power (LKM).
In practice it is frequently found the difference of achievement between one LKM with another in different area. The problem of achievement difference among LKMs is a problem which has to be scrutinized to the refinement implementation of the next program so as the development which is evenly distributed could be implemented.
The implementation of Urban PNPM Mandiri program in LKM Bina Budi Mulya reflected more community-based development compared to LKM Ratujaya. In the implementation of PNPM Mandiri program in Pancoran Mas, the approach of community-based development was successful enough in accomplishment. The society has been involved since the planning process, in which the society itself chose the LKM organizers with voting mechanism. Different thing occurred in Ratujaya area where the implementation of community based development principle becoming very complicated due to the absence of incoming fund and the LKM was rarely hold the meeting, even during this research along three months since January to March, there was no meeting held by the LKM.
The management of National Program of Society Empowerment (PNPM) Mandiri exceedingly highlights to the principles of: rest upon human development, autonomy, decentralization, oriented to the poor, participation, the gender equality and equity, democracy, transparency and accountability, priority, collaboration, continuity and simplicity. The implementation of program in the field, the accomplishment of the principles tended to economic heading and economic rotation. If the realization in the field persistently settles only around economic problems without strengthening the PNPM principles substance, then LKM will be trapped around the fund distribution. The LKM institution which is truly intended to raise humanity values, in the long run would not be able to be realized because the role of LKM which is shrink become such a micro credit institution for the certain society. The endeavor of poverty eradication must be done jointly, both by government and private companies. LKM has role to develop LKM network in the sub-district and city, as the government partner and conveyor to express society aspiration. The success of the implementation of PNPM Mandiri program in an area depends on the work LKM collective leaders. While LKM institution will develop attaining autonomy depends on how high the ability of collective leaders jointly could manage LKM institution more professionally.
