What, if anything, does e-government have to do with Indonesia?<\/p>\n
Placido, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Would you associate Indonesia with e-government? Perhaps you
\nwould not, but local politicians believe that e-government has
\nmassive potential to promote economic and social development.<\/p>\n
E-government belongs to the same family as e-mail and e-
\ncommerce, where the \"e\" stands for electronic. The concept
\nimplies the use of Information Communication Technology like
\ncomputers and mobile phones, with the objective of providing
\nonline services and improving bureaucracy and transparency.<\/p>\n
It is also seen as a tool for improving the relationship
\nbetween citizens and the government, and among government
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has not gone \"e-mad\" overnight. The country actually
\ncaught the \"e-bug\" quite a while ago.<\/p>\n
The first step was taken in 1997 with the establishment of
\nTelematika Indonesia, a committee responsible for providing
\nguidelines and recommendations on how to proceed to
\ndigitalization.<\/p>\n
Despite Indonesia's reputation for political inconsistency,
\nwith new leaders scrapping the policies of the previous
\ngovernment, Telematika Indonesia is still alive and kicking.<\/p>\n
However, political consistency does little to convince the
\nskeptics on the feasibility of such a project.<\/p>\n
Consider these facts: Indonesia remains a country where PC
\npenetration is 1 percent of the population, the Internet is used
\nby 0.5 percent and land-line telephones reach 3.5 percent of the
\ncountry's population of 220 million.<\/p>\n
Infrastructure\/access is the main problem facing e-government,
\nbut is by no means the only one. The other problems include the
\nrelevance of the idea to the Indonesian reality, general public
\napathy and a lack of human resources, budget and a concerted
\napproach<\/p>\n
Dr. Ashwin Sasongko -- secretary to the state minister for
\nresearch and technology and one of the main men behind the
\nproject -- remains enthusiastic about e-government.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is still in the infancy of the project. At the
\nmoment we are trying to make the idea of computers appealing to
\npeople and drafting the necessary legal framework and guidelines
\non which to operate.\"<\/p>\n
Through road shows across the archipelago, the government and
\nthe private sector has attempted to raise public awareness of the
\nissue. They have staged exhibitions of IT products and also
\ndiscussions on their potential uses during the road shows.<\/p>\n
\"People are very curious about computers. There is no age
\ndivider; young and old alike gather around to ask questions and
\nto listen. There is definitely a growing curiosity about it,\"
\nAshwin said.<\/p>\n
But the public's curiosity does not automatically lead to the
\nestablishment of e-government, particularly in the absence of
\nInternet access at the institutions concerned. For example, here
\nin Indonesia, only 24 percent of government employees have access
\nto e-mail and there are certain areas in the country that have no
\naccess at all.<\/p>\n
Regions that have been equipped with digitalized electronic
\nnetworks will spearhead the implementation of e-government.<\/p>\n
\"There are 265 regencies and it is obvious that some have
\nbetter facilities than others. These have been selected and will
\nbe used as examples for others to follow,\" Ashwin said.<\/p>\n
In fact, there are now 23 out of 265 regencies preparing e-
\ngovernment networks.<\/p>\n
Batam island in Sumatra is one success story. It has one-stop
\npublic service where 18 types of civil records and permits can be
\nobtained from one office.<\/p>\n
The slimmed down bureaucracy has led to a 250 percent increase
\nin applications from the previous year, especially for permits
\nand ID cards.<\/p>\n
However, a lack of capable human resources continues to be a
\nproblem in many areas. Not many people throughout the archipelago
\ncan turn a computer on, let alone construct or navigate an
\ninteractive website.<\/p>\n
The trump card of e-government is that it will encourage
\ndialog between the government and the public, which will make the
\nfirst more accountable and the second more involved in the
\ndemocratic process.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, this can be done through e-mail, by filling in
\nfeedback forms on a website or by taking part in a forum
\ndiscussion.<\/p>\n
But how about those who live outside Java, Bali and the main
\ncities in the rest of the country, who are not familiar with
\nInternet? How relevant is e-government to the rest of the
\ncountry?<\/p>\n
\"Everywhere in Indonesia there are educated minorities that
\nhave access to the Internet. These may be NGOs, government
\nofficials or intellectuals. At the moment we have to rely on them
\nand we need their help. They have to work as a link between the
\ngovernment and the people,\" Ashwin said.<\/p>\n
But even to keep a website operating has proven difficult. Out
\nof 369 websites set up by government offices as of last March,
\nonly about 85 are still fully operating.<\/p>\n
More difficult is to keep the websites updated with useful
\ninformation for the public.<\/p>\n
This seemingly backwardness in information technology is in
\ncontrast with the situation in the mid-1970s, when Indonesia had
\na good reputation for its IT education, particularly at the
\nBandung Institute of Technology (ITB).<\/p>\n
Even Malaysia, which has developed into one of Southeast
\nAsia's most advanced countries in terms of IT education and
\nachievement, used to send students to ITB to learn from
\nIndonesians. Now Indonesia looks to Malaysia for IT tips.<\/p>\n
\"We lost our way a bit, but we are trying to catch up. IT is
\none of the favorite subjects of young students and with increased
\ndemand the schools will follow.<\/p>\n
\"On Sept. 25, another communications college was opened on the
\noutskirts of Bogor. Also, to train people in IT does not require
\na massive investment or a very long time compared to other
\nindustries, so budget constraints will not slow the process,\"
\nAshwin said.<\/p>\n
Money is another bone of contention. While it is true that
\neducation and putting up websites do not require massive
\ninvestments, it is also true that in order to reach the
\npopulation at large, land-line telephones and\/or cable have to be
\ninstalled and this will require a huge investment.<\/p>\n
Is Indonesian ready for that? Will it be a priority?<\/p>\n
Therefore, the first crucial thing to do is to improve the
\ninterministerial approach toward this issue.<\/p>\n
This major transformation can only be achieved by coordinating
\nthe different entities of the public administration and the
\nprivate sector. Law, finance, infrastructure planning and human
\nresources management should all pull in the same direction. This
\nis not happening.<\/p>\n
PCs in Indonesia are considered a luxury item and are heavily
\ntaxed. To make real inroads with the population they should be
\navailable at subsidized prices.<\/p>\n
Also, home Internet access is prohibitively expensive. At
\npresent -- for poorer service -- Indonesians pay more than
\nEuropeans or Americans.<\/p>\n
Currently, convincing Indonesians of the importance of the
\nInternet revolution is without real meaning because they will not
\nbe able to afford it anyway<\/p>\n
Indonesia is not alone in its quest for e-government. Many
\nother developing countries see digital as the perfect means for
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Albania, Jordan, Mozambique and Nigeria are taking part in a
\nproject run by Italy, in collaboration with the UN, to facilitate
\nthe implementation of e-government. Chile, Tanzania, Mexico,
\nMalaysia and Namibia are among the countries preceded them in the
\nproject.<\/p>\n
India and Estonia have already achieved some positive results
\nand, for different reasons, they can serve as good examples for
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
In India, the public benefits from e-government because it
\nprovides online information on the government's performance.<\/p>\n
Since January 2000, the Central Vigilance Commission, an
\nindependent government agency involved in the anticorruption
\ndrive, has been publishing online the names of officials
\nsuspected of accepting bribes, along with the disciplinary action
\ntaken against them. This has helped boost public confidence in
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
In Estonia, Internet access has been declared \"a human right\"
\nand through community centers, the country is moving to provide
\nfree Internet access to all of its 1.5 million inhabitants.<\/p>\n
After all is said and done, our first question remains
\nunanswered: Would you associate e-government with Indonesia?<\/p>\n
Though the facts show that real application is farther away
\nthan the moon, they cannot deny that the pursuit of the e-
\nrevolution (e-commerce, e-business and e-government) is not only
\nan option but a necessity.<\/p>\n
The reasons to go digital are both internal and external.<\/p>\n
Digital communication is fast, reliable and cost effective. In
\na country as vast as Indonesia no other means is feasible.<\/p>\n
Politically, e-government remains the best tool to support the
\nchange to more democratic governance practices.<\/p>\n
Its implementation would also facilitate communication between
\ncentral and local governments, particularly relevant since the
\ndecentralization process began in 1999.<\/p>\n
Externally, international relations are paperless and the
\npressure to comply with this is growing. To mention only one
\nexample, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation has given
\nIndonesia a 2010 deadline to introduce digital trading.<\/p>\n
As Dr. Ashwin Sasongko said: \"E-government in today's
\nIndonesia is a dream, a vision; but you must have this vision to
\nmake things happen. Now we have to think, tomorrow we will have
\nto act then assist. Only in this way will we one day reap the
\nbenefits.\"<\/p>\n
To help educate the public and officials about e-government,
\nthe state minister for communications and information, and the
\nstate minister for research and technology, in cooperation with
\nthe Italian Embassy, will hold a workshop in Jakarta titled E-
\nGovernment Leadership, Best Practices and Opportunities. The
\nworkshop will take place this Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>",
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