House Commission II pushes for digital sovereignty architecture

A member of the House of Representatives Commission II, Azis Subekti, has stated that digital sovereignty must be built as a national architecture involving the state, businesses, universities, technology communities, media, and civil society. According to Azis, Indonesia’s digital transformation should not be understood merely as expanding internet access or using digital applications, but must become part of efforts to strengthen the nation’s independence in the 21st century. “The digital issue in Indonesia is not just a technological problem. This issue touches the essence of independence, namely the nation’s ability to determine its own fate amidst global change,” Azis said in Jakarta on Thursday. He explained that the centre of global power has now shifted to data, algorithms, computing centres, submarine cables, digital networks, and artificial intelligence. This condition differs from the agrarian era, which relied on land control, or the industrial era, which was supported by factories and production technology. According to him, Indonesia must not only be a digital market but must also be able to create added value from data, technology, and digital innovation domestically. “Indonesia produces a large amount of data. The highest value from that data must be sought to return to Indonesia,” he stated. The first foundation encompasses physical infrastructure such as submarine cables, fibre optics, satellites, data centres, internet exchanges, network security, and the diversification of international routes. The second foundation covers economic and technological aspects, including data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cyber security, research, the software industry, and digital talent. Azis emphasised that these three foundations must be built in an integrated manner so that various national digital programmes do not run independently. “Indonesia must not be anti-world, but it also must not be naive in the face of the world. Openness must be accompanied by the ability to regulate oneself,” he said.