Indonesian President Joko Widodo reminded Indonesian military and police officers to develop digital capabilities by learning Artificial Intelligence (AI) and gaining other types of knowledge relevant to digital technology. The president made the remarks while attending the annual joint Indonesian National Defense Forces and Indonesian National Police leadership meeting.
Developing digital talent is necessary. Military and police officers must also develop digital talents, as those are our current necessities. The military and police must have expertise in AI technology and digital design as well as understand blockchain and digital marketing as our future challenges lie in those aspects
– Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia
Law enforcers must also understand issues and challenges to the digital technology aspect, as currently, criminals have shifted their focus to the digital technology realm to commit their acts. If the police and law enforcers do not understand those issues, then it is difficult to tackle crimes. Criminal acts have not only occurred in conventional ways but have also shifted to the digital realm now. The head of state then urged the police and military to seek and develop new digital talents in respective institutions. This is because, in the future, Indonesia will face technology-related challenges and threats.
Moreover, the Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has ordered members of the military police corps to upgrade their digital skills to deal with an increasing trend of cybercrimes on internet-based media. As a precautionary measure against the increased incidents of cybercrimes on electronic and social media platforms, the military police corps` members should be adaptive to the latest developments in information technology.
Having sufficient digital skills will enable personnel of the military police corps to take necessary measures to deal with cybercrimes. The personnel could also safeguard themselves from being affected by fake news circulated through various social media platforms and participate in defending TNI`s good image from the impact of proliferated hoaxes.
In connection with the real threats of cybercrimes, the Communication and Informatics Ministry shut down a fake Instagram account illegally using the name of the TNI, whose content threatened leftists. The fake Instagram account was called @tni_indonesia_update.
The fake social media account proliferated hate speeches and threats that the account creator would “crush” leftists with critical thoughts and those alleged to be members of the new generation of the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). In response to this case, the Indonesian Army Spokesman Brig. Gen. Candra Wijaya told the Communication and Informatics Ministry`s officials that the Instagram account of @tni_indonesia_update did not belong to the Indonesian Army.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, digital technology has the potential to create new jobs for 20-45 million workers in Indonesia, according to the Indonesian National Development Planning Minister and Head of the National Planning and Development Agency (Bappenas) Suharso Monoarfa. Addressing the Statistical Society Forum, Monoarfa said Indonesia has experienced digitalisation which is projected to create new types of jobs for 20-45 million vacancies.
Indonesia must conduct economic transformation in the post-COVID-19 period, such as by improving the skills of Indonesian workers so that the national economy will not only recover but also grow higher beyond 5% per year.
While Indonesia has one of the fastest-growing digital economies in South East Asia, action is needed to ensure that all Indonesians, especially the most vulnerable, can access various digital technologies and services and realise the benefits. Although the accelerated adoption of internet-enabled services during the pandemic is likely to boost the growth of the digital economy, the benefits of such development could be unequal.
