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Indonesian Civil Society Calls for Strengthened Regulations and the Sustainability of Open Government Indonesia Amidst Global and Regional Challenges

Manila, February 7, 2025 – The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting took place in Manila from February 5 to 7, 2025. During the event, Indonesian civil society emphasized the importance of strengthening regulations and ensuring the sustainability of Open Government Indonesia (OGI) as a concrete step toward achieving a transparent, accountable, participatory, and inclusive government.

As one of the founding parties of OGP, Indonesia has been a model in implementing open government principles. Over the past thirteen years, the government and civil society have implemented seven Open Government Indonesia National Action Plans (RAN OGI), contributing to key initiatives such as Indonesia’s One Data and One Map policies, procurement transparency, legal aid information portals and services, as well as the LAPOR! public complaints system, which is integrated into the National Public Service Complaint Management System (SP4N). These achievements have been recognized with multiple international awards, including the OGP Silver Award in 2016, the OGP Impact Award in 2021, and the OGP Award in 2023.

However, despite these accomplishments solidifying Indonesia’s position as a global leader in OGP, significant challenges remain. Institutionalization, governance, and the lack of legally binding instruments for both the government and civil society in implementing open government commitments remain key obstacles.

Presidential Decree (Keppres) No. 13 of 2014 established Indonesia’s membership in OGP. However, this legal instrument merely serves as a recognition and does not regulate the institutional framework, governance, resources, or sustainability of Open Government Indonesia. Meanwhile, Ministerial Decree No. 88 of 2018 issued by the Minister of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to establish the Strategic Coordination Team for the Implementation of Open Government Indonesia has limited enforceability to bind national ministries/agencies and local governments. This has resulted in low achievement targets and minimal co-creation between the government and civil society in several RAN OGI commitments.

To address these issues, civil society and Bappenas have collaborated on studies and drafted a Presidential Regulation (Perpres) on the National Strategy for Open Government Indonesia (Stranas KPI) along with an accompanying Roadmap. Since mid- 2023, this process has involved periodic public consultations with civil society and government representatives. However, these efforts have not yet gained political buy-in from the Ministry of State Secretariat through an initiative permit or from the Ministry of

Law/National Legal Planning Agency through the 2025 Presidential Regulation drafting program (progsun). This situation contrasts sharply with the Philippines, where President Ferdinand Marcos institutionalized the Philippine OGP through Executive Order No. 31 of 2023, which defines its institutional framework and secures government funding.

The implementation of OGI represents an institutionalized approach to meaningful participation of civil society in public policy. This aligns with efforts to establish a transparent, accountable, and responsive government that addresses societal needs while fostering a democratic civic space.

Moreover, OGI plays a strategic role in accelerating and monitoring the government’s development agenda. The administration of President Prabowo-Gibran has outlined Asta Cita as Indonesia’s development vision for the next five years, aligned with the 2025-2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) and the 2025-2045 National Long- Term Development Plan (RPJPN). Priority programs under Asta Cita, such as free nutritious meals, free health check-ups, increased state revenue, social welfare improvements, and environmental conservation, require civil society participation in planning, implementation, and oversight to ensure transparency and accountability. Thus, OGI serves as a platform to mobilize government and civil society resources toward achieving shared development goals.

Challenges to open government implementation are not only domestic but also global. On January 20, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump issued Executive Order No. 14169, which suspends U.S. international development funding programs. This decision directly impacts the implementation of several RAN OGI commitments that rely on support from development partners, including the U.S. and other donor countries, as they lack funding from Indonesia’s state budget (APBN). This situation underscores the urgent need for Indonesia to institutionalize OGI through a regulatory framework, ensuring adequate institutional and financial support.

In response to these challenges, Indonesian civil society calls on the government to take concrete steps to ensure the sustainability of Open Government Indonesia by:

  1. Enacting a Presidential Regulation on the National Strategy for Open Government Indonesia along with the Open Government Indonesia Roadmap, which regulates governance, funding, and program sustainability.
  2. Strengthening civil society participation in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of open government policies, including in the implementation of strategic programs such as the 2025-2029 RPJMN and the 2025-2045 RPJPN.

 

Through the OGP framework, OGI holds immense potential in supporting Indonesia’s vision for inclusive and participatory sustainable development. Therefore, Indonesian civil

society urges the government to take concrete steps to reinforce its commitment to openness and accountability, ensuring that open government principles genuinely benefit all Indonesians.

List of Indonesian OGP CSO:

  1. Indonesia Judicial Research Society (IJRS)
  2. International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID)
  3. Transparency International (TI) Indonesia
  4. Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI)
  5. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW)
  6. Perkumpulan untuk Pemilu dan Demokrasi (Perludem)
  7. Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL)
  8. Publish What You Pay (PWYP Indonesia)
  9. Seknas FITRA)
  10. Pusat Kajian Hukum dan Anggaran (Puskaha Indonesia)
  11. Asosiasi LBH APIK Indonesia
  12. Kota Kita
  13. Koalisi Anti Korupsi Indonesia (KAKI)
  14. Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial
  15. Perkumpulan Inisiatif
  16. Himpunan Wanita Disabilitas Indonesia (HWDI)
  17. Kesatuan Perempuan Pesisir Indonesia (KPPI)
  18. International Budget Partnership (IBP) Indonesia
  19. Kesatuan Nelayan Tradisional Indonesia (KNTI)

For further information, please contact:

Gregorius Yoseph Laba (IJRS) – gregoriusyoseph@ijrs.or.id

Rinto Leonardo Siahaan (INFID) – rinto@infid.org

Dzatmiati Sari (TI Indonesia) – dsari@ti.or.id

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