Coordinating Minister For Human Development And Culture Admits Digitization Of Social Assistance Distribution Services Has Many Problems, These Are The Obstacles

Illustration/Photo: Antara

BADUNG - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Muhadjir Effendy, said that digitalization in the provision of social assistance distribution services or social assistance was still hampered.

"Digitalization in Indonesia, especially the social assistance sector, needs a harder effort, because what we imagine, what we perceive, when in the field is not as beautiful as the original color", he said in a session on the Indonesian Digital Financial Economy Festival which took place in Nusa Dua, Bali, Monday, July 11.

In a talk session hosted by the Governor of Bank Indonesia, Perry Warjiyo, Muhadjir virtually said that the obstacles faced in efforts to accelerate the digitization of social assistance distribution services included the availability of supporting infrastructure.

Muhadjir said that until now there are still areas that do not have adequate information and communication technology facilities.

"For certain areas, they can be mapped geospatially, and actually it's not even mentioned, so we can know where it is", he said, quoted by Antara.

Although he did not mention the names of the regions that do not yet have adequate information and communication technology facilities, Muhadjir at the beginning of his presentation said that the distribution of social assistance in 34 districts in Papua and West Papua was still carried out in cash through the Post Office.

"Because the non-cash infrastructure (supporting services) is not ready in these areas", he said.

In addition to the problem of the availability of supporting infrastructure, Muhadjir explained, another obstacle faced in digitizing the social assistance distribution service was the unequal level of digital technology literacy in the community.

The use of digital systems in social assistance distribution services, he continued, also requires regulatory support and inter-ministerial policy coordination.

"This infrastructure and regulations will support innovation and simplification of the social assistance distribution model through digital media", he said.

"This (digitalization) strategy relies on inter-ministerial policy coordination. Without good coordination, the target of digital social assistance that is right on target and eases the burden and accelerates the target (distribution) cannot be achieved", he added.

Although there are still obstacles to its implementation, Muhadjir is optimistic that digitalization can be carried out in the provision of social assistance distribution services considering that according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2022 the number of Internet users in Indonesia will reach 204 million and 63 percent of the Indonesian population already uses cell phones.

"(With such conditions) we should be ready to implement this social assistance digitization program", he said.

The Indonesian Digital Financial Economy Festival is a side activity in the 3rd meeting of the Ministers of Finance and Governors of the G20 Central Bank and the G20 Deputy for Finance and Central Bank which will take place from July 11 to 17, 2022 in Bali.