Indonesia's One Data Bill: Doli Kurnia Says the Country is Still Trapped in Basic Issues
The House of Representatives’ Legislative Body (Baleg) held a Hearing for General Opinions (RDPU) regarding the drafting of the Bill on One Data Indonesia. Deputy Chairman of Baleg DPR RI Ahmad Doli Kurnia Tandjung emphasised the importance of integrated data management as the primary foundation for targeted national policy formulation.
“I will begin with the adage: those who control information control the world. And one part of information is data,” said Doli during the meeting on Tuesday (31/3/2026).
Doli emphasised that the concept of one data for Indonesia is not new. According to him, the need for an integrated data system has long been advocated, particularly to address various administrative issues and improve the quality of public policy.
In addition, Doli highlighted the common situation when Indonesia faces disasters. He assessed that data inaccuracy is one of the main causes of chaos in on-the-ground handling.
“If Indonesia is hit by a disaster, there is always confusion. What causes the confusion is inaccurate data,” he explained.
He also touched on the controversy in social assistance (bansos) distribution, which often triggers jealousy in society due to inaccuracies in recipient data.
“When we introduce social assistance, some feel they deserve it but do not receive it, while at the same time they see people who do not deserve it receiving aid,” he added.
In the context of democracy, Doli also criticised the process of updating voter data in every general election and regional head election. He opined that if Indonesia had a strong and accurate national data base, election organisers would no longer be burdened with the data update process.
“In my view, the task of election organisers relates to conducting electoral activities. If we already have a good database, they can just be users,” he asserted.
He also stated that even at the age of 80 years, Indonesia is still dealing with basic-level issues regarding data.
“We, at 80 years old, are still trapped in having to resolve problems at the basic level related to data,” he said.
He hopes the RDPU can gather input to strengthen the substance of the One Data Indonesia Bill, which will later serve as the legal basis for realising fully integrated data, accurate, systematic, secure national data governance, and accessible according to the level of need.