I

ndonesia is failing to keep up with other Southeast Asian nations in terms of providing efficient online public services, but measures can be taken to improve the situation.

In the 2018 United Nations E-Government Survey, Indonesia ranked 107th out of 193 UN member states, well behind Singapore (seventh), Malaysia (48th), Brunei Darussalam (59th), Thailand (73rd) and the Philippines (75th).

When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo came to office in 2014, he called for clean, effective, democratic and trusted governance by implementing e-government as a national agenda. While some government sectors have improved their online services, Indonesia needs to transform and accelerate its e-government development to keep pace with neighboring countries.

The UN E-Government Survey has been conducted every two years since 2001. Indonesia’s current rank of 107 is an improvement from 116 in 2016, but for the past decade, Indonesia has held an average rank of 107. This means Indonesia’s e-government development is stagnant and cannot match the speed of other countries.

E-government is defined by the UN as the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to more effectively and efficiently deliver government services to citizens and businesses. E-government is also about reforming public administration, management and daily activities.

There are six ways the Indonesian e-government can be transformed.

First, a strong legal framework should be established as soon as possible. The existing legal basis is Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 3/2003 on the national policy and strategy of e-government development. It only instructs government institutions to implement e-government to provide transparency. It does not mandate efficient and effective management of e-government at the national level.

Fortunately, the government is drafting a presidential regulation on e-government. This regulation will provide a strong legal framework to support the national policy on e-government. Following this, Indonesia should without delay enact an e-government law, similar to those of South Korea and the United States.

Second, the government must know the exact status of e-government across the nation. Previous master plans and roadmap strategies did not reflect exact conditions, thus officials came up with some impractical projects that could not be completed on time.

Previous data on e-government status was obtained via the Communication and Information Ministry’s Indonesian E-Government Ranking (PeGI).

However, its results were limited to ICT assessment and did not show the status of governance and policies. An e-government evaluation tool developed by the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry covers policy, governance and service. It is expected to provide precise information to develop a national e-government policy.

Third, it is time to develop high-quality, common applications that can be used by all government institutions for their systems of business processes, procurement and tax. According to the National Development Planning Ministry the government spent Rp 12.7 trillion (US$ 890 million) on information technology in 2014-2016 and 65 percent of that expenditure was used to develop common applications. Such applications should be standardized, rather than risking redundancy and overlapping by having every single government office develop its own software. This will enable the government to use its budget more efficiently and effectively.

Fourth, the government should support all citizen-oriented online services. E-government systems are not only for the government but should be developed by considering how to make people’s lives more convenient. People should be able to access administrative civil services wherever and whenever they want, rather than having to travel to government offices to request an application or submit all the necessary documents.

However, most public services in Indonesia are still not provided online. In addition, some existing online services such as reissuing an identity card, a family certificate or a birth certificate, still require people to resubmit previous documents repeatedly. Meanwhile, advanced countries like South Korea require citizens to submit a minimum document such as an updated photo for an ID card or to submit no documents at all, because all the necessary information is stored and shared among government institutions.

Fifth, a stable e-government network is essential. Since 2007, the government has been developing the Palapa Ring project, a 36,000-kilometer fiber-optic cable network across Indonesia. This will provide fast broadband internet to Indonesians in the urban and rural areas. To provide better online public service, the Palapa Ring should be prioritized.

Sixth, Indonesian e-government should adopt the best policies and practices from advanced countries. The UN has noted the progressive reliance on emerging cutting-edge technologies such artificial intelligence or block chain making to build sustainable and resilient societies. Most advanced countries adopt new digital developments to transform their public services for their citizens. It is imperative for Indonesia to follow the current trend. Otherwise, Indonesia will still have a long way to go before it can catch up.

Above all, international collaboration can enhance technology use for the provision of public services. The E-Government Cooperation Center, established in 2016 by the Indonesian and South Korean governments, offers Indonesia a good channel to adopt best practices of e-government from advanced countries.

To keep up with rapidly evolving innovations, Indonesia’s e-government has to meet global standards. But first, the government needs to transform its e-government by improving the legal framework and policy in line with the current status. It also needs to develop quality common systems, providing citizen-oriented online services and adequate e-government infrastructure before moving to advanced stages.

When those missions have been accomplished, Indonesia can achieve a higher position on the UN E-Government Survey. The real winners will be the Indonesian people, who can enjoy a more transparent, effective, democratic and trusted governance.