Indonesian official says change mindset necessary for effective digital transformation

Pandu Putra, Special Staff for Digital Transformation working with Indonesia’s Minister of State Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB), has called for open-mindedness and the right deployment of the relevant technologies if Indonesia has to witness digital transformation breakthroughs.

GovInsider quotes the official in an interview as saying that in order to beat the bureaucratic hurdles and government red tape common in the country, people must be ready to let off legacy practices wilfully, while ensuring that “digital technology is used properly in accordance with the business processes that stakeholders agree to.”

Putra, who was recently appointed to his role, is bestowed with the responsibility of advising on strategies to get the Indonesian government’s ongoing digital transformation journey on the right rails.

He noted that his role consists in talking to several stakeholders, emphasizing the need to ensure that technical and non-technical aspects of Indonesia’s digital government program are properly implemented.

Putra added that for the digital government ecosystem to work effectively, one of the key things to do is to ensure proper coordination, stating, as quoted, that “all stakeholders must be willing to sit together to create mechanisms and business processes that are acceptable to all.”

He said despite the several challenges, Indonesia’s digital transformation future looks promising, if the government gets some of the major issues right. He mentioned that among other things, the government is working on a regulatory framework for the implementation of digital public infrastructure, and the use of digital ID verification for social protection schemes.

Meanwhile, recently, with some World Bank representatives at the Ministry of Trade, Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, discussed collaboration avenues for increasing connectivity and putting in place the right digital public infrastructure as a propeller of digital transformation.

In a statement referenced by Antara, both parties reiterated their committed to accelerating internet access, evenly distributed throughout Indonesia, with optimal spectrum policies and support from the private sector.

They noted during their discussion that having the right spectrum policy and internet connectivity will lead to an improvement in the delivery of digital services.

Digital ID is a key component of Indonesia’s digital public infrastructure, and early this year, the government said it was working to drive adoption of the ID in order to streamline service delivery.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  Indonesia  |  social protection