E-government: RI needs new approach and focus

Fabio Scarpello, Contributor, Jakarta

The need for more governmental transparency and more direct participation by citizens in the democratic process, in addition to the shift from a centralized system to a more decentralized system here, calls for changes here.

E-government, which refers to the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in public administration, is clearly seen as the way forward.

Its advantages were once more highlighted in the workshop co- organized by the state minister for research and technology, the state minister for communications and information and the Italian Embassy and took place on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 in Jakarta.

The participants made many promises, the ones that seem tailored to Indonesia's needs are the potential to strengthen democracy, reduce poverty and to make governments more responsive to the needs of its citizens.

However after the chit-chat, the good lunches and the hand shakes, what is clear is Indonesia is interested in the project, but what is debatable is the focus and approach to it.

It is not a novelty that the lack of ICT infrastructure and funds are the reasons that limit a wider implementation of e- government in Indonesia. Since the 1998 crisis money is tight, Indonesia is very big and high tech equipment is expensive.

In this respect, while the high speed fiber optic cable laid in Sumatra by Italian firm Pirelli - as a first step in a project by Telkom to link the islands of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan - is a long term investment, the overall situation has not changed much and some questions remain unanswered. For example what has happened to the US$34.5 million funds given by the World Bank in November 1997 to Indonesia for its Information Infrastructure Development Program (IIDP)?

The project, closed in June 2003, failed to make a real difference by connecting people, with the greatest part of it used to pay international consultants and rubber stamp legal documents. By all means all useful and maybe necessary steps but, six years later and US$34.5 million lighter, in Indonesia there are still only about 4 million internet users, of which only 600,000 are subscribers while the rest rely on warnet. Of these, 85 percent are in Jakarta and Surabaya, with only 15 percent in the rest of the country. Telephone landlines are also still very poor with about 7.5 million fixed telephone lines installed.

However, what emerged from the workshop is that, if the government approach and focus are adjusted, then the lack of infrastructure may be overcome.

At present, the approach is to put the infrastructure in place and then to offer services where there is a demand for it. However, even if cables remain the preferred option, new (cheap) technology has come to the rescue of countries such as Indonesia and the only thing needed is to embrace it and use it on a wider scale to offer services to all citizens regardless of the demand.

Outside the circle of techies not many have heard of WiFi. To explain what it is in lay terms, there are few people more qualified than Ciro Maddaloni, Chief Technical Officer at the Italian Ministry for Innovation and Technology E-government Unit.

"WiFi - short for wireless fidelity - is the popular term for high frequency wireless local area network, and it is one of the newest ways to connect to the Internet and surely the cheapest. All that is required is a simple aluminum antenna and a wireless network card".

WiFi does not need expensive infrastructure to be put in place, and the services it provides are more than enough for most people.

"The initial kit, excluding the PC, costs about US$80. Also, it does not need a powerful computer to operate, so a basic second-hand PC will do the job. WiFi uses free radio bandwidth, and after the initial cost the only thing left to pay for is the connection" Maddaloni says.

Furthermore, the connection costs can be shared among a network of users without interfering with the speed and quality of the service. Free operational systems, like Linux, can be used and by connecting a headphone and a microphone, WiFi can replace the telephone.

Maddaloni explains: "Yes a Voice over IP (VoIP) could be added. This is a system that translates voice into a digital format, sends it and then retranslates the digital format into voice. This overcomes the problem of the lack of land lines and provides people with a real service, at a very cheap cost"

In truth what Maddaloni is suggesting, is nothing new in Indonesia. Dr Onno Purbo has already pioneered both the use of WiFi and established a PC-to-PC communication system, called Voice of Freedom. Dr Purbo, who is one of Indonesia's ICT experts, believes that connecting to the Internet using WiFi could be the best way to narrow Indonesia's digital divide and bolster economic development.

The private sector has already embraced the new technology and has started to explore its potential with several "hotspots" set up in Jakarta's main hotels and shopping malls. Nonetheless, these are only beneficial to a small privileged minority and when talking of ICT in reference to e-government we have to look at it as a means to provide "essential services" to the population at large.

In this respect, what is hoped is for the government - at central and local levels - to take the initiative with a concerted approach and to use WiFi to reach out to people throughout the archipelago.

At the moment, the e-government focus in Indonesia is on informative websites and e-procurement. These are indeed important services, but how relevant would these be to a fisherman in Kalimantan? Conversely if services such as e- education and e-health are offered, then a real difference in citizens' lives could be made. Technology void of useful applications is pointless. If e-government applications fail to make a difference there will never be either an economic advantage nor a popular consensus for it.

It is a government responsibility and duty to offer education and health - among other services - without waiting to be asked for it. At present, not many people in remote areas of the country would know of the possibility to have a lesson for their children delivered via computer, or to have a doctor's opinion in digital format. If the service is provided, then the demand for it will increase together with the awareness of the population and the cultural level of the country as a whole. Consider the case of cellular phones for a moment: a few years ago they were almost unheard of in Indonesia, but since the supply has been available people have started demanding it and now many parts of Indonesia have gone cell phone crazy (in a good way). Of course in regard to ICT as things stand in Indonesia, intermediaries are needed to work as a link between ICT and citizens. How to entice people in remote areas is a problem the government needs to solve soon.

Furthermore, to present to the international stage a project that involves e-education and e-health would make a much more positive impact than timetables and e-shopping. Undoubtedly, the possibility to have financial and technical help would improve.

Indonesia is looking around to get e-tips. Malaysia, South Korea and now Italy have all been in on the talks. But to make these meetings and workshops worthwhile, the governments needs to take "real" examples and act on it.

In Pantelleria, a tiny island at the southernmost tip of Italy, lectures are often given at the local school via video link, using a local intermediary with basic ICT skills. To send a lecturer would have been too expensive but local citizens have the same right to be educated like their brothers and sisters in Milan or Rome or Udine. The Pantellerian people did not ask for the service; most of them did not even know of the potential for it. Likewise, in Indonesia it is crucial that citizens in Papua, Sulawesi and Kalimantan have access to e-services, just like those in Jakarta, regardless of whether they demand it or not.

Indonesia is in a position to learn from other countries' e- government experience and leapfrog the technological divide. WiFi (and even more modern technology) could help to overcome the cost and infrastructure barrier. However, in order for e-government to be true to its promises and help the country to grow, real issues of all citizens have to be addressed.