The Existence of Local Wisdom in the World Bank Post-Earthquake Assistance Implementation in West Sumatra

Abstract

This research concludes that the development success which used the Community Driven Development (CDD) approach such as PNPM Mandiri (National Program for Community Empowerment) is influenced by local wisdom in each region. The CDD approach focuses on the active participation of society’s various elements which aims to empower and increase the independence of the community in achieving welfare. The West Sumatran local wisdom is the traditional Minangkabau philosophy of ‘adat basandi syarak, syarak basandi kitabullah ', highlighting the valued relation between traditions, religion, and the holy book of the Quran. The strong integration of the Minangkabau community’s social order with this philosophy creates its own participation characteristics which become the basis for the CDD approach development implementation. By using qualitative research methods, with in-depth interview techniques and purposive sampling, this study discovered dualism that contradicted the synergy of customary principles and the CDD approach: the World Bank's development approach normatively aligned with the Minangkabau traditional philosophy values, however, this conformity is counterproductive to the achievement of post-disaster community empowerment goals.