Indonesia Integrates Public Service Quality into National Development

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has emphasized that national development planning cannot be separated from the quality of public services.

Indonesian Ombudsman (ORI) Chairman Mokhammad Najih said every development policy ultimately leads to how the state serves citizens fairly, effectively, and with dignity.

“Every development policy ultimately culminates in how the state is present to serve citizens fairly, effectively, and with dignity,” Najih said when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He described the memorandum of understanding he signed with the deputy minister of National Development Planning (PPN)/Bappenas in Jakarta on Monday, February 9, as an important milestone in integrating public service oversight into the national development policy planning process.

Najih stressed that the agreement is not merely institutional cooperation but an affirmation that public service must become the main orientation of development. The partnership seeks to optimize oversight functions in development policy planning to ensure that development is truly aligned with public needs.

He said the scope of cooperation includes preventing maladministration from the policy-planning stage, accelerating the handling and resolution of public complaints, and exchanging relevant, accountable data and information. It also covers human resource capacity building and the use of information technology and artificial intelligence to support adaptive and responsive public services.

Najih noted that over the past five years, ORI and the National Development Planning Ministry have maintained good cooperation.

Since 2025, ORI has shifted its approach from measuring compliance with public service standards to issuing Ombudsman Opinions, providing higher-quality assessments to prevent maladministration. Previously, the institution focused on compliance surveys.

He said the synergy between the National Development Planning Ministry, as the architect of national development, and ORI, as the public service watchdog, would help produce policies that are more responsive to community needs while strengthening the principles of good governance.

Through cooperation, ORI is ready to contribute oversight data and findings to support evidence-based policy planning and to conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation of the memorandum’s implementation.

Najih also appreciated the ministry's cooperation.

Deputy Minister of National Development Planning, Febrian Alphyanto, said national development is not measured solely by economic growth or infrastructure projects. He said development ultimately concerns public trust that the state is present, working, and serving fairly and responsibly.

“Public service is the most tangible face of the state or the government itself,” Febrian said.

He added that ORI plays a strategic role in ensuring that good governance principles are implemented and that development planning is closely linked to public service quality.

Under the 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), the government has placed public service quality as a top priority to ensure that development planning responds to the real needs of the public.

Febrian hopes the collaboration will strengthen national development planning, particularly in institutional capacity, policy frameworks, and the development of human resources with integrity. ***