Jokowi Bans New Apps – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) highlighted the problem of many applications created by ministries , institutions, and local governments that are not integrated with each other. In his speech at the State Palace, Jokowi asked that the creation of new applications be stopped and directed the focus on integrating existing systems.
“Starting this year, stop making new applications, stop making new platforms, stop,” said Jokowi firmly. This step was taken because Jokowi saw that the many unintegrated applications only burdened the budget and did not provide optimal benefits for the community.
Jokowi revealed that currently there are around 27,000 applications created by various ministries, institutions, and local governments. These applications work independently without any significant integration efforts. This, according to Jokowi, has caused a budget waste of Rp 6.2 trillion just for the creation of new applications this year.
Negative Impacts of Unintegrated Applications
The many unintegrated applications cause various problems. The public often faces difficulties because they have to download many applications to get government services. “The budget is trillions but the results of this useless application are unreasonable. To the point that the public is made difficult because every time they need government services, they have to download the application again,” Jokowi continued.
In addition, Indonesian people have various different identity numbers, such as Birth Certificates, KTP, Family Cards, NPWP, Marriage Certificates, Driving Licenses, BPJS Health, BPJS Manpower, and Passports. One person alone can have dozens to tens of different identity numbers, so it is often troublesome just to take care of identity.
e-KTP Integration Failure
One real example of the lack of integration is e-KTP. By the end of 2023, as many as 50 million physical e-KTPs have been converted into digital KTPs.
However, this change has not been followed by good integration into other essential public services. Ironically, to take care of administrative services that require an ID card, people still have to attach a photocopy of their ID card.
Learning from Other Countries
To overcome this problem, Indonesia can learn from several countries that have successfully implemented an integrated super-app system for various services. Here are four countries that serve as examples:
1. Singapore
Our neighboring country, Singapore, is becoming a leader in government technology. Through its Smart Nation Singapore initiative, the Singapore government claims that 99% of government services are digitally accessible from start to finish (end-to-end).
The super-app adopts advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and blockchain to improve the quality of public services. By 2023, citizen satisfaction with the app has reached 83%, as has the level of satisfaction from the business segment.
2. Estonia
Estonia has successfully carried out digital transformation by launching a comprehensive e-Government application. They developed a unique digital identity for each citizen, which allows easy access to various public services, such as e-voting, e-tax filing, e-healthcare, and others. In addition, Estonia also applies blockchain technology in public administration, including e-residency which allows foreigners to obtain a digital identity and access government services online.
3. South Korea
South Korea is renowned for its government’s technological innovation. They have developed a sophisticated information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and provided extensive broadband access.
The South Korean government has also implemented a Smart City system in several cities, using Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve energy efficiency, waste management, and transportation. Their electronic public services, including mobile applications that allow citizens to conduct various government transactions online, are also very sophisticated.
4. United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The UAE is one of the most technologically advanced governments in the world. The UAE government has taken progressive steps in implementing technology to improve public services and administrative efficiency.
They developed an integrated e-government system, where citizens can access various public services, such as bill payments, visa applications, and business permits, through an online platform. In addition, the UAE also applies artificial intelligence (AI) in various aspects, including in the health and security sectors.
Jokowi’s Future Plans
Seeing the success of these countries, Jokowi directed Indonesia to follow the same path by focusing on more efficient integration and utilization of technology. The first step that must be taken is to stop creating new applications that are not integrated and start building a system that is interconnected and can be easily accessed by the public.
Jokowi hopes that this step will reduce the burden of ineffective budgets and provide better public services. “We must learn from other countries that have succeeded in this. Integration is the key to efficiency and better public services,” Jokowi concluded.
In the future, Jokowi wants all public services to be accessible through one integrated super-app, so that people no longer have to bother downloading many applications and having different identity numbers. Thus, public services will be easier, faster, and more efficient.
