Institut Teknologi Bandung

Dr. Donny highlighted the importance of information in policy making, underlining a statement by President Joko Widodo. Transparency and responsibility within information is a key to effective governance, especially in today's digital information era where data is processed to become valuable knowledge.

He then explained two types of information: private and public. Private information requires permission from its owner for access such as personal data. Conversely, public information is accessible to everyone, encompassing data available on university websites, news, etc.

In addition, he emphasized that a public body including the executive, legislative, judiciary and non-governmental organizations receiving either partial or full funding from the state or the local government budget have an obligation to provide accurate information. This information should be accurate, easily accessible, and presented in understandable language for the community. Public bodies are also required to establish an information and documentation system to manage information effectively.

Information plays a crucial role in the lives of the citizens, and the rights of information have been recognized and enshrined as a human right in the Republic of Indonesia's constitution (UUD 1945 in clause 28F). This clause states, "Every person has the right to communicate and access information to improve oneself and the social environment, as well as the right to seek, obtain, possess, store, process, and convey information using all available channels.

"However, there are still constraints on accessing some information due to some data being considered difficult or even prohibited to access. To address this issue, the law of Republic of Indonesia's Central Information Commission outlines its purpose, including promoting community participation in shaping public policy, enhancing knowledge, improving information management and creating a transparent, effective, and accountable government.

Additionally, the discussion focused on the three pillars of information resilience: robust infrastructure, supporting infrastructure, and skilled human resources. A strong information resilience system will strengthen the National Defense, making the community more discerning to distinguish between accurate and misleading information.

Closing his lecture, he emphasized the importance of information and the role of the public bodies, including universities in providing an open source of information. Transparency and openness aim to ensure that citizens, the government, and other stakeholders can understand transparently about the activities and educational operations in the university.

This principle is a crucial step in preventing various problems such as public deception, deviations, corruption and extortion that can damage an institution's integrity. Through transparency and openness, universities can realize good governance, combat corruption, collusion and nepotism practices and build public trust.

Reporter: Iko Sutrisko Prakasa Lay (Mathematics, 2021)

Translator: Sherina Wijaya (Geological Engineering, 2019)

Editor: Kezia Hosana