GI reflects: A note on Indonesia’s digital government journey

Indonesia’s digital government journey offers one crucial lesson: technology alone is not enough.  

Without adaptive governance, cross-sectoral commitment, and public trust in digital services, progress will remain slow and fragmented. 

Over the past decade, the country’s digital government landscape revolves around a fundamental question: What is the most effective way to deliver public services that are accessible, inclusive, and sustainable? 

Despite the government’s many policies and efforts to realise this vision, implementation has proven far less smooth than anticipated.  

Digitalisation was once the buzzword across all government agencies over the past decade. Ministries, agencies, and local governments raced to develop their own digital applications. 

This “app fever” later became a double-edged sword.  

By 2022, there were 27,000 applications, most of which overlapped in function and lacked interoperability.  

As a result, citizens were left confused about which application to use and had to repeatedly input their data, and only to end up frustrated because not all these applications could be accessed in real time. 

One that stood out was the PeduliLindungi app, a platform integrating vaccination data with a geotagging-based tracking system, used by more than 60 million Indonesians – although this uptake was largely driven by the “compulsion” of the pandemic. 

Integrated digital platforms 

To address these challenges, the government shifted its approach to an integrated, centralised digital platform. 

In his final year in office, President Joko Widodo launched INA Digital as the GovTech Indonesia tasked with leading the integration of government services while tackling long-standing problems: fragmented systems, repeated user data entry, and inefficient application maintenance.  

The platform has been built on three pillars: INA Pass (a national single sign-on), INA Ku (a portal for essential public services), and INA Gov (a portal for government services). 

This project was touted as the pinnacle of Indonesia’s e-government system (SPBE) and stands as one of President Joko Widodo’s legacies after years of reforming digital governance. 

Unfortunately, after two trials at the end of 2024 – which coincided with the leadership transition – the national rollout has yet to take place. 

Once again, this offers a lesson: Without first addressing bureaucratic complexity, regional disparities in digital infrastructure and ensuring political commitment, effective implementation will be difficult to achieve. 

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Shift to a use case approach 

The leadership transition from President Joko Widodo to President Prabowo Subianto has brought a new direction. In his speeches, President Prabowo has said that digitalisationis targeted at strengthening state revenue and spending efficiency while supporting populist programmes. 

After several adjustments, the strategy has now shifted to an use case approach, starting from citizens’ concrete needs (citizen-centric), instead of building large systems. 

The first piloted use case has been the social protection programme (Perlinsos), a government priority in delivering regular social assistance to low-income households. 

Perlinsos leverages digital public infrastructure (DPI) – from the Dukcapil digital ID to socio-economic data interoperability – to ensure assistance is better targeted, transparent, and accountable. 

The pilot project is currently underway in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java. If successful, this approach will be replicated in other priority programmes. 

By showcasing a programme under the public spotlight, the government aims to lock in institutional commitment and ensure smooth cross-sector collaboration. 

Improving public trust 

Public trust is the cornerstone of effective digital government. 

Countries like Singapore, Estonia, and Denmark rank highest in e-government because citizens trust that their data is secure, services are useful, and their voices are heard. 

Indonesia still faces significant challenges in these areas. 

Last year’s ransomware attack on the Temporary National Data Centre (PDN) highlighted the urgency of passing the Cybersecurity Bill, alongside expediting the formation of a personal data protection authority that has been delayed for three years. 

Beyond security, tangible benefits for citizens and the extent of their involvement in policymaking will determine adoption levels. 

Take the example of the national digital ID programme, Identitas Kependudukan Digital (IKD). Citizens must be given a comprehensive explanation of the real benefits or incentives of switching to a digital ID, when the physical ID card already allows them to access all essential services. 

Without clear answers, adoption has stagnated at around 20 million users, or 10 per cent of KTP holders. 

With stronger data protection and enriched features, that number could rise significantly. 

A similar situation can be seen in Malaysia, where only 2.2 million out of 20 million MyKad holders are using MyDigital ID. 

Given its vast geography, wide digital divide, and bureaucratic complexity, Indonesia’s digital government journey will never be perfect. 

Now is the right moment to reset the foundations of governance, strengthen public trust, and ensure that every digital initiative truly addresses the real needs of citizens.  

Only in this way can digital transformation become a tool for change that is inclusive, sustainable, and relevant to all segments of society.