Language:
Search
 
Gathering Citizens Aspirations through UPIK
Information and Complaint Service Unit

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
Lack of public participation level in government implementation in the City of Yogyakarta either in planning process, implementation, or oversight is a problem encountered prior to the emergence of this initiative. The weak of community involvement leads to inaccuracy in formulation of Government’s programs and policies. Program and policy are designed tend to be top down so that unable to answer community’s needs. Government is often slow, unresponsive, or even wrong targeted in providing solutions for problems that arise in community. Various maladministration related to public service implementation such as poor service quality even rampant extortion also found due to control function that organized by community is not running well. The weak monitoring and vagueness of reporting and complaint mechanisms from community resulted to more freely officials who do not act in accordance with the applicable rule. One of the factors that affect the low community participation is the unavailability of fast and reliable communication channel, and capable to provide wide access to community to deliver complaint and suggestion related to public service implementation. Several communication channels available such as community aspiration gathering (Jaring Asmara) and Meeting on Development (Musrenbang) are held only once in a year. Such activities also do not provide quite wide opportunity for all of community members to be actively involved in government because only several specific parties who can access the activity. Most of the other community groups can only rely on conventional methods such as giving letter to give feedback for Regional leaders, while such channel is not quite effective to deliver message especially the urgent in nature. The lack of certainty and facilities to monitor the follow-up of the messages which are being delivered to Government also became one of the causes of low community involvement in the City of Yogyakarta. The processes number that must be passed before ultimately up to policy makers, the unavailability of clear information concerning message delivery process, and follow-up that performed after the message is received make community more reluctant to express their grievances and expectations related to governance implementation in the City of Yogyakarta. A survey that has conducted by Yogyakarta Government found fact that 63% of the City of Yogyakarta population are actually expect some media availability which is easy, cheap and affordable to all people, and able to facilitate communication between Government of the City of Yogyakarta and community.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
Yogyakarta Mayor, both who served at the time of Information and Complaint Service Unit (UPIK) establishment until who currently serves have high commitment to open up to community aspirations. Trust to involve community is one of the factors of the implementation of good governance. Therefore, it is necessary to create a service which is able to provide access for community to perform its role by getting involved and directly supervise the Government course to the fullest. This service should be able to facilitate communication process between Government of the City of Yogyakarta and community easily, affordable cost, fast and effective. The easiness of access for each circle and a good documentation are also become the key of this service so that decision making and implementation of public service are based on relevant data and information and consider all parties’ interests. Following up on such thought, in 2003 it was established a hotline service to facilitate community who want to deliver a message of information to Government of the City of Yogyakarta. SMS facility (short message services) was chosen because it is easy, cheap facility and very popular among community.. These commitments and ideas of Regional Leaders then received support from both public and internal environment of Government of the City of Yogyakarta. In 2003, two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO/LSM) together with the Government of the City of Yogyakarta developed a system and application on basis of information technology which facilitate complaint and information service in the City of Yogyakarta. This application enables integrated and documented message from community to be directly distributed to policy makers in SKPD/Work Unit level. The answer given by Work Unit will also directly be recorded automatically into application and its response will able to be directly monitored by public. This application also provides direct access for Regional Head to monitor message and even interact with community through various media, primarily the most popular at that time, namely SMS. In addition, there is also monitoring mechanism in form of graphic and chart to determine the topic/problem distribution deemed important by public and responsiveness level of AKPS/Work Unit in replying community message. Promptly after such application able to be utilized, support from SKPD/Work Unit will also flow both in form of human resources (personnel providing for administrator, operator, and technical personnel) and in physical form (facility and infrastructure procurement of information technology for SKPD/Work Unit). In the beginning of 2004, Information and Complaint Service Unit (UPIK) of Government of the City of Yogyakarta was officially introduced to community. Community response and support to this service are also large enough. The number of messages received by UPIK everyday to this day is quite stable namely around 10-15 messages per day.
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
UPIK is one of forms of the openness commitment of Government of the City of Yogyakarta which becomes the pioneer of citizen complaint and information management in Indonesia. This service emphasizes on the speed of information delivery and response providing to community. All messages must be disaggregated based on topic and delivered to SKPD/Work Unit at maximum 1 x 24 hours since it received by Administrator. Such messages then must be addressed by SKPD/Work Unit at maximum 2 x 24 hours (for messages that only accommodated by one Work Unit) or 6 x 24 hours (for messages which need coordination of 2 institutions or more) since received from administrator. It means community who complains or need information will already have obtained explanation from the related institution in the meantime. UPIK uses technology on media basis which until now is quite popular and very easy to be accessed by various circles namely Short Messages Service (SMS) service by normal tariff (around IDR 300,-). Notwithstanding, UPIK still enables service by conventional media such as letter, telephone, fax, even directly come by inputting message from such medias into the system and to be then submitted to SKPD/Work Unit. By this method, all messages from community and answer from SKPD/Work Unit will be documented into system so that facilitate tracing back as the basis for policy making.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
Forming of Information and Complaint Unit is initiated with planning stage. At this phase, identification is performed to problem, challenge, opportunity, and power owned by Government of the City of Yogyakarta including media selection deemed potential in facilitating communication process between community and Government of the City of Yogyakarta. In planning, it is also prepared message management mechanism and needs identification for operational of Information and Complaint Service Unit. The next phase should be passed in this initiative application is system preparation/improvement. At this phase an application of information technology is built to enable documentation and message distribution to Work Unit and SKPD. Aspiration gathering from SKPD/Work Unit and community related to system and mechanism of message management is also performed at this stage. In addition, it is also performed internal socialization to SKPD/Work Unit and Human Resources preparation as operator and administrator, training organization, application system testing, to facility and infrastructure support. The third phase is implementation and evaluation stages. At this phase, Information and Complaint Information Service Unit was officially introduced to community as facility to establish effective communication with Government of the City of Yogyakarta.
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
To actualize the ideas for developing information and complaint handling service, Government of City of Yogyakarta in collaboration with Swisscontact, Association for the Study of People’s Economy Development (PKPEK) and Gatra Tribrata Sustainable Ethical Business Partnership in system planning and developing, coverage and method of UPIK service. This unit subsequently managed by Public Relation and Information Office based on Decree of Mayor of Yogyakarta No. 133/KEP/2010 regarding Establishment of UPIK Management Team of City of Yogyakarta. Forming process of the unit itself was initiated from the enactment of PT Exindo as the winning bidder for procurement of Human Resources system and training to operate communication system between citizen and Local Government on electronic basis. In its development, Local Government involves several parties, among the others are: - Regional Legislative Institution, plays a role in supporting and legislating budget and developing Regional Regulation in accordance with information and suggestion from community; - Higher education networks which conduct survey on Community Satisfaction Index concerning city utility, on of them concerning UPIK service. Survey result is used to develop UPIK service; and - NGO and Mass Media in monitoring UPIK institutional effectiveness and implementation.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
UPIK is fully funded from Local Budget of the City of Yogyakarta. In 2011, UPIK Secretariat obtained budget of IDR 44,210,000. While in 2012 UPIK obtained budget of IDR 43,375,000 for network maintenance and procurement cost. This cost is fully borne by Technology Information which its scale is inseparable from network procurement cost of all SKPD and Work Unit of Government of the City of Yogyakarta. Unit managed by Public Relation and Information Office based in Decree of Mayor of Yogyakarta No. 133/KEP/2010 regarding Establishment of UPIK Management Team of the City of Yogyakarta. Authority and responsibility allocation of Management Team, among the others are: - Head of SKPD/Work Unit: the person in charge for UPIK implementation - Coordinating Team of Service Problem Follow-Up: carries out UPIK implementation founding and monitoring as well as performs coordination on grievance and complaint follow-up in UPIK duty implementation; - Operational Coordinator: carries out daily management duty of UPIK Secretariat and delivers implementation and financial report; - Hotline Service Administrator and Field Management: inventory and receives information, complaint and proposal from various communication media, verifies and distributes incoming information to be continued to UPIK Operator in each reported SKPD/Work Unit; - UPIK Operator in each SKPD/Work Unit: receives information and deliver follow-up to community by delivering its copy to administrator.
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
The easiness of information delivery and community complaint through UPIK facilitate community to participate in city development and monitoring performance of Local Government. Conversely, Government of the City of Yogyakarta also receives many inputs for the sake of public service improvement which is professional, accountable and transparent. During its eight years operation, UPIK brought positive change in the City of Yogyakarta in form of: 1. Improved ability to recognize community needs Prior to the presence unit which handles information and complaint from community, policy prepared in top down method, so that often does not in comply with the community needs. Society needs delivery channel was only limited through Community Aspiration Net performed by legislative institution and Development Planning Deliberations which are conducted once a year. While through UPIK, citizens can deliver information and complaint every day. 2. Easiness in preparing agenda and priority scale Information from community facilitates Local Government to prepare agenda and scale priority. List of information and statistic owned by UPIK facilitates Local Government apparatus to determine priority of community needs. 3. To facilitate community in delivering information, complaint, question and suggestion to Local Government Through UPIK, community is no longer difficult to deliver information and complaint; no longer facing convoluted bureaucracy and uncertainty upon follow-up of information and complaint they provided. Citizen information and complaint by short message (SMS), email, letter, telephone or UPIK site will certainly up to the ranks of Local Government. 4. Improved apparatus responsibility upon service to community Each SKPD is obliged to response or follow-up community information and complaint within 2x24 hours. 5. Improved apparatus commitment in serving community Community is easier to participate and monitor Local Government apparatus that can improve apparatus performance.
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
Monitoring and evaluating mechanism are continually being implemented among the others by holding coordinating meeting each 3 (three) months with all operators, technical teams, and follow-up teams to discuss constraints both technical and non-technical in this initiative implementation. Socialization at regional level in person is also conducted in line with the use of mass media such as radio talk show and notice in local newspaper. In addition, it is also by using outdoor media such as stickers, and banners.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
Since the first time launched, community information and complaint service system was continually evaluated and developed. Until the year of 2012, there still occurs inaction responding and verifying error of community information and complaint. This matter is partly due to the high frequency of employee rotation who serves as UPIK operator or administrator. UPIK device must be continually updated to follow technology development, such as cellular phone of SMS receiver connected to computer still use outdate device so that at risk.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
UPIK is one form of public services in the realm of communication and information distribution. With the existence of this initiative, community obtains a meaningful easiness in delivering complaint, information, question, or suggestion and proposal to Government of City of Yogyakarta. Survey result of UPIK Community Satisfaction Index (IKM) in 2013 showed that around 77,8% respondents stated that UPIK is easy to access; 19,1% of 162 respondents interviewed even assumed this service is very easy to be accessed so that only around 3% community experience obstacle in using this service. Public service improvement in the field of communication and information bring wider impact to public service in other field. UPIK able to provide sufficient information which is quite reliable for officer of policy maker to formulate and make policy priority which is more qualified in relation to public service. Such policy is also far more effective because better targeted and only requires a relatively short time. In the past, community must wait for quite a long time to obtain road repair service because repair proposal must wait for checking turn by officer. Whereas, it is very possible that the location of the damaged road is at the final sequence of the officer’s area checking list. With the UPIK existence, information related to road damages reported by community can be quicker recognized by Government of the City of Yogyakarta, in this matter is Agency of Area Settlement and Infrastructure so that problem solving can be undertaken as soon as possible. Functions of governance and monitoring implementation carried out by community are also better work performance than previous one. Input and aspiration from community are one of information sources which are significant for program and policy planning process more appropriate to community needs. With the presence of UPIK, violation number conducted by Civil Servants are also can be suppressed because each violation can be directly reported to Government of the City of Yogyakarta and well documented in application system so that Civil Servants are more careful in providing service to community. Quality of public service in Government of the City of Yogyakarta is monitored periodically through Community Satisfaction Index. In addition, several awards achieved by Government of the City of Yogyakarta with respect to public service become improvement evidence after such initiative implementation. Such of several awards among the others are the achievement of the highest Corruption Perception Index in Indonesia in 2008, Predicate the Most Convenient City for Habitation of 2009 – 2012 from Indonesian Planning Expert Association, Bung Hatta Anti Corruption Award in 2010, and winner of the highest score in Anti-corruption assessment conducted by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and covering assessment in 18 Ministries, 2 Province Governments, 4 City Governments, and 2 Regency Governments.
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
UPIK management has been planned as one of the activities conducted by Public Relation Section and Information until the final period of Local Middle Period Development Plan (RPJMD) 2012 – 2016 of Government of the City of Yogyakarta. This year of 2013, Inspectorate of the City of Yogyakarta has also planned to develop mechanism which enables the interlinked of UPIK and Presidential Work Unit the field of Development Controlling and Monitoring (UKP4) in Whistle Blower System to minimize corruption practice in the environment of Government of the City of Yogyakarta. As one the methods to develop UPIK, it is also conducted monitoring and studying efforts related to UPIK management by implementing Community Satisfaction Index Survey periodically every year. Result of such survey then should be followed-up by formulated various policies such as UPIK socialization implementation to community groups which its participation percentage in UPIK is still relatively low. In 2014 – 2016, for example, socialization will be performed to women groups due to its user percentage only reaches around 20%. Handling flow, mechanism and the use of information technology applied by UPIK has became source of complaint management development both by other Local Government such as Kulonprogo Regency and Kerinci Regency as well as education institution and international institution. This year, UPIK also be one of the referral and development of complaint management model performed by State Administration Institution (LAN). This study produces options of information and complaint management model which will be socialized by LAN to be adapted by other Local Government in Indonesia.
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
The existence of effective communication channel which can be accessed by all of community levels gives quite significant impact to improvement of public service quality and governance implementation in the environment of Government of the City of Yogyakarta. Development of openness value not only requires high commitment of Regional Head but also support and cooperation from community and other parties. Effective communication between community and Government of the City of Yogyakarta supports better planning and monitoring activities so that provide benefits to both parties. Socialization in respect of the existence of Information and Complaint Service Unit is necessary to be sustainably done to certain community groups. The system ability to accommodate evidences such as photos, documents and voice recordings are also necessary to be developed in line with identity validation process of information giver/service user. In addition, policy maker commitment should also be developed to use data and information documented in UPIK applications.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Information and Complaint Service Unit
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Ig. Trihastono, S.Sos, MM
Title:   Mr  
Telephone/ Fax:   +62 274 561270
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   upik@jogjakota.go.id  
Address:   Setda Kota Yogyakarta, Jl. Kenari No. 56 Yogyakarta
Postal Code:   55165
City:   Yogyakarta
State/Province:   Yogyakarta
Country:  

          Go Back
Print friendly Page