Indonesia gains Singaporean insight on inclusive public service

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian and Singaporean governments are committed to strengthening cooperation in the provision of inclusive public services and digital transformation.

The cooperation was carried out by Indonesian Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) Rini Widyantini and Singaporean Ambassador to Indonesia Kwok Fook Seng.

"We can learn from the Singaporean government to develop digitalization and provide understanding to the public regarding digital transformation to be accepted and utilized," she noted in a statement from her office on Tuesday (November 19).

Widyantini believes integrated and inclusive digital transformation governance is important to build a strategic platform to meet the community needs.

Hence, the Indonesian government will prioritize a community-centered approach to digital transformation in the future through greater involvement in various aspects of the life of the community.

Moreover, the government has issued Presidential Regulation Number 82 of 2023 concerning the Acceleration of Digital Transformation and Integration of National Digital Services.

In the same statement, Ambassador Seng explained that Singapore's digital integration and transformation process took almost two decades.

He noted that at the start of its development, the Singaporean government faced challenges similar to those encountered by Indonesia in integrating various applications owned by government agencies.

"Each ministry and institution built their own applications, and it took time to integrate," he remarked.

However, Seng said that the Singaporean government continues to prioritize inclusive public services amid efforts to digitalize services by continuing to maintain conventional services to cater to the needs of citizens across generations.

"We still use old methods to serve senior citizens whose digital capabilities are less savvy than younger generations. In principle, public services must be able to embrace and serve all," the ambassador emphasized.