A year of dedication: A look back at KOMINFO'S accomplishments in 2013
The Jakarta Post | Fri, January 31 2014
In December 2013, the Communications and Information Ministry (KOMINFO) wrapped up a busy year by reporting its total non-tax revenue (PNBP) for the year, which reached a staggering Rp 13.59 trillion (US$1.08 billion).
Not only does this mark a 17.3 percent increase from the 2012 revenue of Rp 11.58 trillion, it also exceeded its PNBP target for 2013 by a whopping 110.94 percent. Furthermore, it turned out to be the second-highest ministerial non-tax revenue, with only the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry accumulating more.
This was a remarkable achievement for the ministry, but it was not the only one in 2013.
Throughout the year KOMINFO celebrated numerous achievements and made significant strides in the field of communication and information for the betterment of the people of Indonesia. It worked to tackle problematic issues, initiating key programs and organizing successful events, which drew praise and acknowledgement from various parties.
One of the most notable examples of progress that the ministry engineered in the last 12 months was in its work ensuring Internet availability in rural areas of Indonesia.
By December 2013, the ministry had built as many as 32,208 units of service connection (SSL) for numerous villages in non-commercial regions with telecommunication access, amounting to 33,184 villages from a total of 72,800 villages in Indonesia.
It has also managed to set up 1,857 mobile-subdistrict Internet service centers (M-PLIK), 5,956 subdistrict Internet service centers (PLIK) and 1,222 PLIKs in various productive centers.
Besides its success in empowering the nation with Internet availability, the ministry proved in 2013 it can also play an effective role in upholding the country’s security by taking swift action when called upon amid the information security crisis that hit the country.
A recent report by the Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure (ID-SIRTII) revealed Indonesia had suffered the most Internet security breaches in the world, experiencing an alarming 42,000 attacks per day, followed by the US, which is targeted 11,000 times a day, and China with 5,000 attacks daily.
To emphasize the importance of information security, the ministry has set up an information security index (KAMI) as a means to further encourage both state and private institutions to improve the management of their information security system.
Tapping is also a worrying national security matter, as highlighted by the recent high-profile tapping incident involving the country’s leaders.
The Communications and Information Ministry responded immediately to the incident by gathering all the country’s telecommunications operators to ensure none of them were involved in the tapping incident.
Having found nothing untoward, the ministry then ordered the operators to improve their systems and standard operating procedures for security and monitoring.
This move not only showed the ministry’s assertiveness, but also the positive relationship it has built with the influential actors in the telecommunications industry.
The ministry’s care for and control of the industry was also evident when it recently issued an approval for a merger proposal submitted by PT XL Axiata and PT Axis Telkom Indonesia. The acquisition will definitely help trigger healthier competition among telecommunications firms in the industry. Moreover, it will also provide the state with additional non-tax revenues of up to Rp 1 trillion, as well as an additional Rp 10 trillion over the next 10 years.
The merger was duly prompted by the Communications and Information Ministry’s success in setting up the 2.1 GHz spectrum, which started in early 2013 and was completed in October 2013.
A different kind of success was achieved by the ministry in late September and early October 2013 when it helped Indonesia grab international attention by hosting the 2013 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC).
The ministry was place in charge of the event’s public relations and media affairs, and was impressed the participants – consisting of 9,722 delegation members and more than 3,000 journalists – who rated the 2013 APEC Media Center as better than that of the previous APEC event in Vladivostok.
Another event run by the ministry with great success was the 2013 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), held from Oct. 21-25, also at the BNDCC in Bali.
The event, which the ministry organized with several of its foreign and domestic partners, was attended by 2,632 participants from 111 countries and covered by 57 media outlets from all over the world.
Indonesia continues to make its mark on the international stage in the field of communications and information. At the 2013 ASEAN ICT Award (AICTA) held in September in Myanmar, Indonesia was the Gold Winner in public sector category, Silver Winner in the R&D category and Bronze Winner in the CSR category.
Similarly, the Asia Pacific Information and Communication Technology Alliance Award (APICTA) in Hong Kong also saw Indonesia come away with numerous awards, namely one Winner Award and four Merit Awards.
These fantastic accomplishments celebrated on the regional stage by Indonesia’s bright talents in the field of communication and information owes much to the success of a similar award that the ministry has been presenting since 2007 at the domestic level – the Indonesia ICT Award (INAICTA). The 2013 INAICTA carried the theme “TEKNOKREASI: A Nation of Possibilities” and produced 21 winners from 21 categories.
After presenting awards to celebrate the work of Indonesia’s high-achievers, it was then the ministry’s turn to receive acknowledgement for all its hard work.
At the end of the 2013, the ministry was ranked second in the list of “institutions with the Best and Most Transparent Website”, as rated by the Presidential Work Unit for Development Monitoring and Control (UKP4) and Paramadina. The ministry was also rated to have the eighth best Information and Documentation Management Officers (PPID) in the country, according to a Public Information Disclosure (KIP) assessment.
The ministry’s impressive progress throughout the year also led to recognition from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
In the commission’s Integrity Survey, the ministry came ninth in the Public Sector category, which was a huge leap from the position of 18th the previous year. There was further commendation when the KPK’s Integrity Survey also rated the ministry as being the third best institution in the category of Goods and Service Procurement.
Despite its numerous achievements in 2013, the ministry acknowledges it still has considerable work to do to achieve its vision of realizing a prosperous society through sustainable ministerial work. However, its accomplishments will hopefully help to lay the foundation and pave the way for better and more significant progress in the year 2014.
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