KPTDP discusses digital government progress with Tony Blair
The Chairman of the Committee for the Acceleration of Government Digital Transformation (KPTLDP), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, held a meeting with former British Prime Minister and Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), Tony Blair, at the National Energy Council Office on Monday to discuss developments in digital government.
Luhut stated that digitalisation, combined with the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), assists in integrating various sectors and serves as a solution to various field-level challenges. By implementing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as the foundation of the basic technological system, it is believed that access to public services will be eased, with one such application being the social protection system.
The meeting also addressed efforts to accelerate bureaucratic digitalisation to support improved quality in public services. In recent years, Indonesia has built an important foundation providing strategic direction for Digital Government. These efforts represent a fundamental change in governance, how policies are formulated, how services are delivered, and how the state interacts with its citizens. Achieving public welfare remains the highest target of government performance through Human-Centered Design in Government.
It was noted that through digital government, the state can be present in a simpler, faster, and more reliable manner. This is not merely about modernising systems, but transforming the experience of public services. The KPTDP has conducted a pilot project for digitising social assistance in Banyuwangi Regency and is preparing to expand implementation to 42 regencies/cities, including Batam City, as well as the province of Bali.
The implementation has provided important lessons regarding the acceleration of processes and the strengthening of transparency in social assistance distribution. It is hoped that collaboration with Tony Blair and his team can increase the scale of AI application in the fields of social protection, health, education, and business financing. Simultaneously, there is a focus on strengthening AI governance to ensure security, accountability, and compliance with data protection.
Collaboration is also expected to target capacity building for local government officials regarding digitalisation, ethics, and security. “Our focus is on a digital ecosystem that is safe and trusted for the public, as well as the preparation of an upcoming presidential regulation to formalise the digital government framework. AI plays a vital role in analysing data from digital identities, increasing efficiency, and optimising tax collection,” Luhut said.
Tony Blair remarked that the most important aspect of digital government is how the technology is applied. He noted that Indonesia already possesses this, observing that administrative service processes have been streamlined from taking a long time to just a few days. He added that Indonesia’s progress in cutting service times is impressive given the country’s scale, and that through collaboration, digitalisation can proceed effectively.
He further emphasised that human resources must master digital skills and possess a digital mindset to support successful transformation. He expressed openness to assisting Indonesia across various sectors, including digitalisation. “Integration between government programmes must be implemented, and most importantly, the teams involved must be educated and possess a digital mindset,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of PANRB, Rini Widyantini, stated that digital transformation in government and the governance of development data are crucial, supported by the use of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as the backbone of various government services. DPI includes digital identity, data exchange, and digital payments, maintained in alignment with personal data protection and cybersecurity principles.
She explained that the digital transformation of social protection integrates Digital Identity, trusted data exchange, digital payments, and a Social Protection Portal into a single, integrated service flow. The goal is not merely to digitise existing processes, but to fundamentally redesign service delivery to be simpler, more transparent, accountable, and targeted.
According to Widyantini, these efforts are not just about digitising social assistance, but serve as the foundation for a more integrated, transparent, and citizen-centric social protection system. The key is ensuring these lessons are realised in a sustainable national implementation through proper policy, effective governance, and strong institutional collaboration.
“We very much welcome the involvement of global partners, including TBI, in these efforts. Your long-tested leadership in public sector reform and digital transformation has inspired many countries, including Indonesia. Your support for Indonesia’s digital transformation will be invaluable,” Widyantini concluded.