Aceh Tamiang – The Aceh Tamiang Branch Leadership Council of the Indonesian Advocacy Agency (DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang) emphasized that legal awareness and understanding play a crucial role in the daily lives of village communities.
The statement was delivered by DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang Chairman Syamsul and Head of the Legal and Human Rights Division, Satria Maimun Syah, S.H., in Karang Baru, Saturday (August 8, 2026).
Amid increasingly complex social issues, village communities need more than simply an understanding of their rights and obligations as citizens. They also need to understand how the law works, where to seek assistance, and how to resolve problems properly, orderly, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang considers villages to be one of the areas where communities directly encounter various legal issues, ranging from village administration, management of village finances and assets, land affairs, agreements and contracts, social relations, family matters, to the protection of community rights.
“The law should not only be sought when a problem has already become serious. Legal awareness must be built from the beginning so that people understand their rights, obligations, limitations of authority, and the proper steps to take when facing a legal issue,” said Satria Maimun Syah, Head of the Legal Division of DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang.
Advocacy Should Prioritize Education and Prevention
According to Chairman Syamsul, the presence of legal advocacy within the community does not mean that every problem must end in conflict or legal proceedings.
On the contrary, effective advocacy should prioritize legal education, prevention, mediation, deliberation, and appropriate assistance within the framework of applicable law.
Village heads and village government officials also have a strategic role in building a culture of legal awareness. Village administrations are expected to manage government affairs in a transparent, accountable, professional, and legally compliant manner.
Likewise, members of the community have the right to receive information and fair treatment in accordance with the law. At the same time, every citizen has an obligation to respect the law and the rights of others.
A Strong Village Is Also a Legally Aware Village
The Head of the Legal Division of DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang emphasized that a strong village is not merely a village with good physical development, but also a village where its people understand the law and its government upholds the principles of transparency and accountability.
In this context, DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang expressed its readiness to contribute through legal education, legal counseling, consultation, and community assistance, in accordance with its authority and applicable legal provisions, both at the village level and within the Aceh Tamiang Regency Government.
For DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang, the law should not be something distant or intimidating to village communities.
Instead, the law should be understood as an instrument to maintain public order, provide legal certainty, protect rights, resolve disputes, and prevent problems from developing into more serious conflicts.
“When people understand the law, they become more confident in defending their rights in the proper way. When village governments understand the law, their authority can be exercised more carefully and responsibly. And when both work together, the village can become a more orderly, just, and dignified place to live,” Chairman Syamsul stressed.
DPC BAI Aceh Tamiang hopes that legal awareness at the village level will continue to be strengthened through collaboration among village governments, communities, community leaders, social institutions, and other stakeholders who are committed to upholding the law.
Because the law is not only for those who are facing problems.
The law is for everyone, and legal awareness must begin in the environment closest to our daily lives—the village.
(Saut Simanjuntak)
