The Indonesian government has made significant progress in terms of participation and transparency, such as involving civil society in policy-making and overseeing government operations. This progress is driven by the global initiative called the Open Government Partnership (OGP), where Indonesia is one of the eight founding countriesOpen government aims to realize values such as transparency, participation, accountability, inclusivity, and innovation through collaborative efforts (co-creation) between the government and civil society.1 To realize this commitment, since 2011, Indonesia has developed and implemented 7 (seven) National Action Plans (NAP) for the Open Government of Indonesia. These plans address strategic issues related to anti-corruption, budgeting, civic space, democracy, inclusive public services, access to justice, gender equality, disability inclusion, social inclusion, energy, environment, and natural resources.

As of now, several Civil Society Organizations have actively engaged in co-creation processes within government transparency initiatives alongside the Indonesian government. Some of the results of the co-creation process include but are not limited to the availability of open and integrated legal aid information services; the availability of information systems for the procurement of goods and services, including in emergency; Transparency in financial management data publication; accessibility for citizens to report violations and election-related disinformation; improved access to public services for marginalized groups; Enhanced participation opportunities for women, children, people with disabilities, vulnerable groups, and the general public in development planning processes. 2

However, this does not mean that there are no challenges in implementing the commitments to government transparency in Indonesia. Regarding some of the agreed-upon commitments related to environmental information and natural resources transparency, progress has been stagnant. Local residents and indigenous communities are often not involved in dialogues concerning the utilization of natural resources in their regions. Similarly, the commitment to transparency in state spending has not been fully met, making it difficult to assess the quality of government expenditures. In the field of anti-corruption, campaign fund transparency has not yet become a priority issue. Meanwhile, meaningful and widespread civil society participation within the framework of social policy accountability remains a challenge in the implementation of government transparency co-creation in Indonesia

On February 14, 2024, Indonesia will hold a general election, where one of the agendas is to elect the President and Vice President. However, during the campaign period, the issue of government transparency in Indonesia has not received serious attention from the public. The commitment to implementing government transparency in Indonesia should be a crucial agenda for the current administration and should be followed up by future administrations. Furthermore, this commitment is necessary to uphold the values of transparent, participatory, accountable, inclusive, and innovative governance. Therefore, government transparency should be a serious concern for the Indonesian government, benefiting not only the government itself but also the broader society.

In connection with this, the Civil Society Coalition for Government Transparency in Indonesia, consisting of 18 civil society organizations, urges the following:
The elected candidates for President and Vice President of Indonesia in the 2024 elections should prioritize government transparency within the first 100 working days and govern with the values of Indonesian government transparency (transparency, participation, accountability, inclusivity, and innovation).
The current and future Indonesian governments should promptly enact legislation ensuring civil society participation in government policy-making

The Civil Society Coalition for Indonesian Government Transparency:

  1. Asosiasi LBH APIK Indonesia
  2. Auriga Nusantara
  3. Indonesia Budget Center (IBC)
  4. Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL)
  5. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW)
  6. Indonesia Judicial Research Society (IJRS)
  7. Institut Lingkaran Pendidikan Alternatif (KAPAL Perempuan)
  8. International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID)
  9. Komite Pemantau Legislatif (KOPEL Indonesia)
  10. Perkumpulan Media Lintas Komunitas (MediaLink)
  11. Perkumpulan untuk Pemilu dan Demokrasi (PERLUDEM)
  12. Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia
  13. Sekretariat Nasional Forum Indonesia untuk Transparansi Anggaran (Seknas FITRA)
  14. Suarise Indonesia
  15. Transparency International Indonesia (TI-I)
  16. Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI)
  17. Yayasan Penguatan Partisipasi, Inisiatif, dan Kemitraan Masyarakat Indonesia (YAPPIKA)
  18. Yayasan Tifa (Tifa Foundation)

Contact Person:

For further inquiries, you may contact Darwanto (darwanto@medialink.or.id) atau Gregorius (gregoriusyoseph@ijrs.or.id).

  1. Open Government Partnership, “OGP Strategy 2023-2028”, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/strategy-2023-2028/#toc_0.
  2. Open Government Partnership, “Independent Reporting Mechanism of Open Government Indonesia”, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/indonesia-results-report-2020-2022-for- public-comment/.