Public participation, public-private partnerships and the use of open data

Since the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative started in 2011, the Government of Indonesia has been trying to provide communities with government data. Presidential Regulation No. 39 of 2019 concerning One Data Indonesia has since been ratified.¹ This regulation strengthens the data.go.id portal that has existed since 2014. Currently, the portal has more than 1,200 datasets provided by 32 central and local government agencies.

There are other developments, including the enactment of Presidential Regulation No. 95 of 2018 concerning Electronic-Based Government Systems (SPBE).² It embodies the integration of planning, budgeting and procurement services, staffing information, electronic filing, public complaints and SPBE infrastructure development such as the National Data Center.³

Challenges to effective commitment implementation
However, various evaluations show that the regime of open data in Indonesia is increasingly unsatisfactory. Of the six principles listed in the G20 Anti-Corruption Open Data Principles, Indonesia does not yet comply with principals 2, 3 or 4.⁴ The currently available public data is not accurate enough, timely, up to date, published at a disaggregated level or adequately documented, and therefore does not adhere to agreed upon international standards, metadata or classifiers.

The data published in the data.go.id portal is also not yet available in multiple, standardised formats, so it is not easy to process it using computers. Thus, it is crucial that the government comply with the global regimes and enforce a better data environment in the data.go.id portal.

Opportunities to accelerate commitment implementation
Amid these developments, one challenge Indonesia faces is to immediately establish a stable open data ecosystem, starting with data providers, data management teams, people who use data and communities that drive public data initiatives since there is a significant need to use of data in policymaking.

It is also vital to facilitate capacity building for public information employees (PPID) as mandated in public information law.⁵ The law states that the officers have substantial authority in managing and publishing data. Unfortunately, since PPID employees often have second jobs to have sufficient income, they can lack the focus needed to produce the standard of work required, and this comes in the face of political pressure not to publish certain information.

Recommendations
Integrate open data principles into the Law on the Disclosure of Public Information and One Data Policy.

Strengthen an open data culture that supports data in open formats, without any costs and under open licences.

Strengthen the role of PPIDs and their standard operating procedures, including a mechanism for monitoring and evaluation and capacity building.

Streamline open data framework with the Open Government of Indonesia Action Plan 2021-2022 and Stranas PK.