PRESIDENT JOKO WIDODO AWARDS THE DIGITAL GOVERNMENT AWARD TO THE MINISTRY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS.

President Joko Widodo presented the Digital Government Award to the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the category of agencies demonstrating significant improvement in SPBE (Electronic-Based Government System). The SPBE Summit 2024 and the launch of GovTech Indonesia were held at the State Palace on Monday, May 27, 2024. The event was attended by Vice President KH Ma'ruf Amin, the Ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet, including Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, state institution leaders, and regional leaders who participated both online and offline. The Digital Government Award 2024 was received by 65 central and regional institutions. Based on the level of maturity in the implementation of SPBE, this award is divided into six categories: a) Highest SPBE Index for Ministries; b) Highest SPBE Index for LPNK, LNS, and other agencies; c) Highest SPBE Index for Provinces; d) Highest SPBE Index for Cities; e) Highest SPBE Index for Regencies; and f) Agencies with Significant SPBE Improvement. The results of the SPBE monitoring and evaluation, which involved 30 universities with 47 rigorous indicators to ensure objective, professional, and independent assessments, were conducted by the National SPBE Coordination Team coordinated by the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (KemenPAN and RB). Spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Anna Hasbie, said, "In 2023, the Ministry of Religious Affairs experienced a very significant increase in the SPBE index. The Ministry of Religious Affairs' SPBE index even saw the highest increase, reaching 1.32 points. The Ministry's SPBE index in 2023 was 3.58 points, a significant rise from the 'fair' category to'very good.'" She further stated, "This year, we will continue to strive for the Ministry of Religious Affairs' SPBE index to leap from'very good' to 'excellent.'" Anna added that this improvement in the SPBE index is a reflection and result of Minister Yaqut's strong commitment to leading the Ministry of Religious Affairs. She noted that since the beginning of leading the ministry, which has the largest working units in Indonesia—possibly even the world—Minister Yaqut has made digital transformation a priority program. Anna explained, "Under Gus Men's leadership, the Ministry of Religious Affairs introduced the Pusaka Superapps, which continue to be developed to integrate all service applications within the Ministry of Religious Affairs. This has been ongoing since November 2022." She then stated, "One national media outlet awarded Minister Yaqut the title of Religious Service Digital Transformation Figure in September 2023 for Gus Men's commitment and tangible actions." Anna assured me that the process of improving SPBE services in the Ministry of Religious Affairs will continue. This aligns with President Joko Widodo's message during the opening of the SPBE Summit 2024 that bureaucracy should serve to facilitate rather than complicate or slow down processes. Therefore, the benchmark is public satisfaction, the benefits received by the public, and the ease of operations. “We will continue to refine and enhance the SPBE services of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. We are integrating various existing applications to make them simpler and easier to use. Public satisfaction is the Ministry's priority in improving service quality in the future,” she concluded.