Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Grace el Dora, Jakarta – The government is developing a super app called GovTech (Government Technology) to integrate all online services provided by ministries and state agencies, a senior official announced on Wednesday.
President Prabowo Subianto is set to officially launch GovTech during the Independence Day celebrations on August 17.
"The president wants to introduce GovTech as a centralized platform that will unify all ministerial and state agency applications, improving efficiency and reducing opportunities for corruption," said Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, chairman of the National Economic Council (DEN).
Luhut made the statement after a meeting with the president and economic ministers at the State Palace in Jakarta. He added that Prabowo plans to meet with hundreds of young web developers who played a key role in creating GovTech.
The super app will serve four primary functions. First, it aims to optimize state revenue collection by streamlining online tax payments through the Coretax system and ensuring proper collection of royalties from mineral and coal mining using the Simbara system.
Second, GovTech is expected to enhance efficiency by providing a data-driven evaluation of vendors in government projects, implementing an e-catalog system, and enabling real-time oversight of state projects to prevent unnecessary expenditures.
"Based on our initial calculations, digitalization could save us Rp 100 trillion ($6 billion) in unnecessary spending," Luhut said.
Third, the platform will centralize essential public services, including citizenship administration, driver's licenses, passports, and access to education and healthcare. By reducing bureaucratic hurdles and improving accessibility, GovTech aims to make government services more efficient for the public.
As part of this integration, every family – especially those registered as beneficiaries of government aid and subsidies – will be required to have a bank account to ensure the timely and accurate distribution of financial assistance.
Finally, GovTech will streamline the process of obtaining business licenses, strengthening Indonesia's competitiveness in attracting global investments.