Democratizing information and communication by implementing e-government in Indonesian regional government

Abstract

Significant changes in the Indonesian political system have affected most aspects of its government and community. First, there is an effort to implement democracy in terms of ideology as well as political practices. Second, the government system is transforming from centralization to decentralization, as the development process is delegated to regional governments (cities and kabupatens). Third, there is an effort to build community consciousness through community participation in national and regional development.Participating in the development process, citizens should be supported with relevant public information. It is the government's task to provide information regarding governmental issues and public interests. As communication and information have been delegated to regional governments, they should execute this task based on good governance principles.However, providing fair and balanced information is not simple. Large populations and regions separated by water and mountains make the task harder. Therefore, regional governments must adopt advanced information technology systems, which functioned to transfer information to the public as well as to receive public feedback medium in an efficient and effective way. To meet those qualifications, regional governments endeavor to implement e-government as a tool for democratizing communication and information.After almost 3 years, there are indications that e-government has not been properly implemented by regional governments. They have faced many problems, including lack of financing, poor technical skill, lack of human resources and infrastructure, and the political will of the government elite itself.Nevertheless, there are many ways to overcome these problems. Standardizing the application of e-government, establishing the regulation of e-government, involving other stakeholders, and developing human resources may aid in the implementation of e-government. In addition, lessons learned from other regions, for example, Kutai Timur or Gorontalo, are also recommended.