Report Research Freedom of Information 2019

AJIINDONESIA, Jakarta - Law Number 14 Year 2008 on Public Information Disclosure grants public information access to all public agencies in Indonesia, unless information with exception. It is intended to encourage public participation in decision-making process, to maintain good governance, as well as to boost service quality and management of public agencies. With this law people are expected to become aware of the importance of public policies that affect the lives of many. In short, it aims to support the realization of transparent, effective, efficient, and accountable governance.

Even though this “Freedom of Information Law” has been enacted for more than a decade, it is not widely known. The chairman of Indonesian Commission of Public Information, Gede Narayana, affirms that many people do not know they have the law that guarantees their rights to obtain public information, moreover on the presence of Commission of Public Information (KIP)–an apparatus mandated to implement the law.” KIP, as an oversight body in national and provincial level, has three main functions: carrying out the Public Information Disclosure Law and its implementing regulations; establishing technical information service standards on public information; and resolving public information disputes
through mediation and/or non-litigation mechanism.

Narayana argues that the implementation of Public Information Disclosure is still far from what is expected. Many Indonesians cannot optimally utilize the law to retrieve public information they need. On the other hand, there are a number of public agencies that have yet to provide the capacity to implement the regulation. Nevertheless, progress is being made. For the past few years, KIP noted that there have been encouraging developments related to the implementation
of this law. This can be seen by the increasing number of received reports by public agencies that actively participate in the implementation monitoring and evaluation of the law.

Monitoring and evaluation are one of the key performance indicators used by KIP to assess the implementation of Public Information Disclosure Law. KIP offers assistance and supervision to public agencies facing technical difficulties in comprehending and implementing the law. In 2018, 62 percent of 400 public agencies filed implementation reports to KIP. It is an increase
from the previous year’s 32 percent. It is clear that monitoring and evaluation is an important process in an effort to optimize the implementation of Public Information Disclosure. 

In line with that spirit, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia conducted a research addressed to measure the enactment of right-to-information (RTI) in twelve public agencies in Indonesia. The research investigated how the public agency proactively disclose public information, put in place the implementation of the law, and properly respond to the request for information.