Government Urged to Make Digital Sovereignty a National Strategic Agenda

The founder of the Indonesian Productive Society Union (SMPI), Azis Subekti, has stressed that digital transformation in Indonesia must immediately be placed as a national strategic agenda. According to him, Indonesia should not merely become a large market for global platforms, but must be able to determine the direction of its own digital economy. “Every era tests the meaning of independence anew. In the digital age, this test comes through data, algorithms, computing centres, submarine cables, social media, and artificial intelligence,” Azis said in a written statement on Thursday (25/6/2026). Azis explained that Indonesia is currently undergoing the largest digital transformation in its history. This is marked by the expansion of internet networks, massive electronic transactions, the growth of e-commerce, and the migration of public services to digital platforms. However, this high level of digital connectivity does not automatically reflect digital sovereignty. A nation can have millions of internet users, yet systemically remain dependent on platforms and technological infrastructure controlled by external parties. “Indonesia can be very connected, but not necessarily truly sovereign. We must ensure the digital economy does not only enrich platforms, but also expands national welfare,” Azis said. He added that the protection of public data is part of citizens’ dignity and national interest. Azis further emphasised the importance of building resilient national digital infrastructure. Components such as submarine cables, data centres, satellites, cyber security, and national computing capacity should be viewed as strategic national assets, on par with ports, highways, and power plants. Azis reminded that disruption to data flows in the modern era risks paralysing multiple vital sectors simultaneously, from financial transactions and trade logistics to education, health, and government systems. Beyond physical reinforcement, public resilience against information manipulation in the digital space was also highlighted. According to Azis, contemporary threats are no longer solely about physical troops crossing national borders, but rather the rise of disinformation, propaganda, and influence operations targeting the public’s way of thinking. To anticipate these vulnerabilities, Azis encouraged cross-sector collaboration between the government, businesses, academia, and civil society to build a shared digital sovereignty agenda. “The main question is whether digital transformation will strengthen Indonesia’s independence or instead give birth to new dependencies,” he concluded.