Teguh Setyabudi, the Director General (Dirjen) of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) at the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), is eager to make Digital Population Identity (IKD) even more potent than it is already. However, Teguh admitted that further development of the IKD application is still in its infancy.
He revealed that the goal is to have IKD function similarly to SingPass or “Singapore Personal Access,” serving as a central network for citizens to access various public services from their mobile devices. Nevertheless, IKD will realise the government-initiated One National Data programme. With a simple “single sign-on” to IKD, users can access various features and functions, including but not limited to medical care, schooling, social support, financial management, tax filing, and online payment processing.
“Medical care, education, social aid, money management, tax filing, and bill paying are just some of the many services that are available to us through IKD. At that point in time, official national data were compiled,” he said in UGM’s Fisipol Auditorium, Yogyakarta.
The digital Public Service Mall (MPP) will be released on May 23, and IKD has been instrumental in developing 12 different types of MPP administrative services. Teguh emphasised that this is why it is crucial to immediately begin advocating for implementing IKD programmes, especially in the public and private sectors, to ensure that 25% of those needing digital ID receive the treatment.
“Therefore, we must constantly seek new ways to broaden its application,” he added.
Teguh also disclosed that the World Bank had provided financial assistance to Dukcapil to improve the latter’s telecommunications infrastructure and computer systems. The fund was allocated to increase the breadth of Dukcapil’s offerings, and the second is to strengthen the IKD system and its initiatives, as he put it.
In her address, UGM Chancellor Ova Emilia reasoned for creating a national digital ID to improve access to public services. Without time and distance constraints, public service management will become more straightforward. She also noted that the government’s reception of technological advances had been overwhelmingly favourable.
At the event, Teguh made a symbolic transfer of 4,000 blank e-KTPs to Beny Suharsono, the DIY Provincial Government’s Assistant for Government and General Administration. Teguh also symbolically gave the UGM Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and representatives of UGM Education Personnel access to the IKD on his phone.
According to Dafduk Director David Yama, by April 2023, over a million people across Indonesia had activated IKD. However, before June 2022, digital KTP was only implemented internally at Dukcapil. Then it will be available to ASN members, students, and the public.
“Roadshow visits to universities around Indonesia will continue to be coordinated by local Dukcapil offices at the province, regency, and city levels with support from the central Dukcapil Directorate General of the Ministry of Home Affairs,” he described further.
KH Ma’ruf Amin, Vice President, had previously urged everybody involved to move quickly towards replacing e-KTP with Digital KTP as the country’s official digital ID. The initiative aims to speed up the process of digitalising the country. According to the Vice President, this is a comparatively easy step in streamlining government services.
Since last September, the Ministry of Home Affairs in Indonesia has been working on a proposal to digitise Identity Cards (KTP). Digital KTP is syncing the photo or QR Code versions of the electronic KTP (e-KTP) now used by the Indonesian public to their mobile devices. Dukcapil has developed specialised smartphone software through which the Digital KTP can be easily accessed. However, citizens had to physically print the e-KTP after submitting and entering their information at the Dukcapil Office before the digital ID programme.