Presentation in the first workshop of the Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries project. Looking at the context of open data, and the research case study planned for 2013 - 2014. See http://www.opendataresearch.org/project/2013/si

1. Learning
Open Data Practice
In Ministry Of Finance
In Indonesia
Open Data in Developng Countries Research

2. Indonesia Today
• Indonesia currently active promotes transparency in various
administration levels, including in financial transparency in
government.
• Initiative of financial transparency in Indonesia began in regime
change (Reform 1998). It was followed by decentralization
policy implementation (2000), and strengthened by issuance of
Law on Freedom of Information (2008).
• Indonesian society use ICT extensively, as shown in high
usage of cellular phones, facebook, etc.
• Utilizing ICT to promote transparency and accountability of
government has been developed, such as in using SMS and
GIS for receiving public complaints on public services.
• Not many public institutions develop Open Data
initiatives, however, technology availability and legal support
may endorse development of Open Data initiatives.

3. Initiatives In Brief
• Initiative in this learning is Ministry of Finance’s effort in
publishing national budget (enacted budget and budget in
planning state) comprehensively in website.
• The publication is in PDF file format, available fully in
www.kemenkeu.go.id
• Principle of this initiative is comprehensive open
document, in which there are no parts of document that
are inaccessible for public (stated by Minister of Finance
in 2011)

4. Timeline of Open Data Initiative
Events Date Description Place /
Inisiator
Source
Law on National Finance
no 17/2003
2003 Stating that national
budget data must be
open for public
Indonesia www.kemen
keu.go.id
Content of national budget
is a part of website of
Ministry of Finance
2003 In early phase of website
development,
information on national
budget was minimum
Ministry of
Finance
Interview
with Ministry
of Finance
staffs
Law on Freedom of Local
Information no 17/2008
2008 Making document
(including budget)
transparency is
mandatory
National
Parliamen
t, NGO
coalition
www.hukum
-online.com
Minister of Finance
statement on budget
transparency to public
Midd
le of
2010
Minister of Finance ask
the ministry to open
national budget
documents to public
Minister of
Finance
Tempo
magazine

5. Timeline of Open Data Initiative
Events Date Description Place/
Inisiator
Source
Citizen Budget developed by
NGOs in Indonesia
June
2010
NGOs utilized
resources from
the national
budget
documents for
budget analysis
CSO in
national
level
Tempo
Magazine
Website of Ministry of Finance
contains complete information
on national budget in PDF
format
January
2011
Inserting budget
document (in
PDF format) into
website
Ministry of
Finance
Tempo
Magazine.
www.kemenk
eu.go.id
Indonesian government joined
OGP
Sept
2011
One of Indonesia
commitment in
OGP is to
implement
transparency by
ICT utilization
OGP http://opengo
vindonesia.o
rg/?page_id=
59

6. Timeline of Open Data Initiative
Events Date Description Place /
Initiator
Source
World Bank launched Open Data
Indonesia initiative
January
2011
WB launch
website on
Indonesia
statistic data in
”open format
data”
World Bank.
Internationa
l level
www.worl
dbank.org
/in/country
/indonesi
a
Website of Ministry of Finance
added data of budget plans
January
2012
Budget plan
documents for
next year are
included in
website
Ministry of
Finance
www.kem
enkeu.go.i
d

7. Notes on Timeline of Open Data
• Open Data development began when Minister of Finance of
Indonesia, Sri Mulyani, stated her commitment to make all
national budget data transparent.
• Following the statement, important event in promoting Open
Data initiative is that Indonesian government joined the OGP
and positive responses from CSOs on the initiative.
• Other groups that are influential to the initiative is Minister of
Finance, mass media, CSOs, and officials of the Ministry of
Finance.
• Minister of Finance is initiator of financial transparency. Mass
media and CSOs raise public support to accelerate budget
transparency, while Ministry of Finance officials designed the
transparency method.

8. Political Context
• Strong political drives of the Open Data initiative :
• Strengthened public demand (particularly from CSOs) on budget transparency
• Strengthened pressure from anti-corruption movement on budget information openness
• Improved roles of donor agencies in distributing knowledge on transparency
• Other drives include organizational culture of Ministry of Finance, which
obliges innovation every year. This is strongly promoted by Minister of
Finance.
• Commitment of policy maker level on Open Data initiative, as far as we
observe, is at implementation of budget document openness.
• In this sense, policy makers see that document transparency (such as inserting PDF form
document in website) is enough. They do not see the urgency of entering data that is
processable in the web.
• Political issues that challenge Open Data initiative are not yet identified.
However, there are ministries, parliament members, and political figures that
warn the danger of transparency in Indonesia.

9. Actors in Open Data initiative
Directly involved Not directly involved yet
SupplySide
• Minister of Finance
• President
• Divisions in Ministry of Finance
• National Planning Board
• Ministry of Communication and
Information
• Open Government Partnership
team from Government of
Indonesia
• World Bank
• Sectoral ministries (education,
health, infrastructure, etc.)
• National Commission of
Information
DemandSide
• National mass media
• CSOs that study and monitor
budget and freedom of
information issues
• Donor organizations (Ford
Foundation and Hivos)
• Local governments (province
and district level)
• Corruption Eradication
Commission
• National and local parliaments

10. Roles of Actors in Open Data Initiative
Roles Actors Notes
Giving political
supports to Open
Data initiative
Minister of Finance,
President
Emphasizing that
transparency (including budget
transparency) is main agenda
in national development
Building budget
transparency
system
Divisions in Ministry of
Finance
Inserting data/document of
national budget into website of
Ministry of Finance
Promoting budget
transparency
(document)
CSOs that work on budget
analysis and information
openness
Promoting implementation of
Law on Freedom of
Information to all government
institutions
Strengthening
budget
transparency
initiative: publication
Mass media (particularly
Tempo magazine)
Mass media supports and
publishes the initiative

11. Roles of Actors in Open Data Initiative
Roles Actors Notes
Strengthening budget
transparency initiative:
supporting system
development
National Planning Board,
Ministry of
Communication and
Information
Cooperates with Ministry of
Finance in developing
national open data platform
Using the data to
support their
functions/work
CSOs that work on
budget analysis and
public services, national
and local parliament,
local and national
government
Some CSOs use data from
Ministry of Finance’s
website, but some others
collect data from offline
sources

12. Technological Context
• At demand side, ICT usage (mobile phone, internet, social
media) rate is high, with varied usage “quality” in society.
• Few user groups have utilized facilities of ICT, but most
society merely use mobile phone.
• Distribution of technology mastering is proportional to
quality of technology usage.
• Availability of internet connection in big cities is good, but
internet connection in rural areas is only served by one
provider
• In term of Open Data, community groups (particularly
those that have potential of giving inputs to Ministry of
Finance) mostly do not understand Open Data

13. Technological Context
• At supply side, availability of technology and ICT staffs
capacity in Ministry of Finance is adequate.
• Ministry of Finance also has plan to develop platform to
support budget transparency.
• However, there is no intensive discussions on Open Data
• Ministry of Finance staffs admit that source that explains concept
and implementation of Open Data is rarely accessed by initiators in
Ministry of Finance
• Concept and tools applied in this initiative are merely open
document, instead of open data.

14. Economic Social Context
• Indonesia is a new comer in Lower Middle Income country list.
Indonesian economy grows more that 6 percent/year since
2004 to now. However, Indonesia still has to face big problems
in providing basic services in remote and poor areas.
• Therefore, development priority in Indonesia is to address the
gap of basic services among areas and to alleviate poverty.
• In its mid-term development plan, Indonesia sets technology
innovation as the 11th priority in the development priorities.
• The role of technology development, particularly ICT, will be
given more to private sectors, rather than to government. On
the other hand, government currently massively develops e-
government in each level and sector. It accelerates demand on
technology needs.

15. Temporary Conclusions
• Commitment of Ministry of Finance in developing budget
transparency (as foundation of Open Data) is strong and
supported by multi stakeholders.
• Budget transparency is translated by Ministry of Finance
into publishing document (in PDF format) in website.
• However, open data discourse is minimal, even in
Ministry of Finance itself, as well as in stakeholders. It
makes it difficult to see the efforts of bringing “open
document” to open data.
• Attention of initiators in Ministry of Finance to demand
side also needs to be developed. There is no clear design
on how to allow users (at demand side) to be able to use
the data.