Monday, June 9, 2025
telepon
Monday, June 2, 2025
The Pitfall of Super Apps- How Over Centralization Undermines Local Government's Autonomy
Karina Oktriastra- March 2025
The rapid adoption of super apps in government operations has been promoted as a breakthrough in public service digitalization. These one-command applications promise seamless service, standardization, and efficiency across different regions. However, behind this progress lies a worrying issue: the erosion of local government autonomy and the imposition of centralized standards that often do not align with the strengths and challenges of different regions.
Overuse of Technology - The Double Edge Sword
Technology should be a tool to enhance governance, not dictate policies without considering local needs. The current trend of developing one-size-fits-all super apps limits local governments’ ability to tailor solutions based on their unique socio-economic conditions. Instead of enabling local governments to build on their own strengths, these apps enforce uniformity, often overlooking disparities in infrastructure, human resources, and economic priorities across regions.
Dependence on Centralized Control: A Threat to Autonomy
In an era where digital governance is expanding, super apps are instead increasing local governments’ dependence on national policies. This dependency creates several challenges:
- Loss of Decision-Making Power: Local governments are forced to align their policies with centrally designed applications, reducing their ability to independently create policies that address local issues.
- Lack of Flexibility and Customization: These apps are often rigid, compelling regions to adjust their service models to predetermined features, even if they are irrelevant to local needs.
- Resource Drain: Implementing centralized applications, maintaining compatibility, and meeting national standards consume resources that could otherwise be used for more pressing local needs.
The result? Instead of crafting policies based on regional potential, local governments struggle to adapt to national mandates that often fail to consider their capacities and realities. Research by Heeks (2008) in the Journal of Information Technology for Development shows that the success of digital governance initiatives depends on how well technology adapts to local socio-political structures rather than simply implementing a top-down technology framework.
Forgetting the Strength of Local Autonomy
Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty for Local Governments
To address this issue, we must rethink how digital governance is implemented:
- Adopt a Hybrid Approach: Instead of enforcing a top-down digital policy, governments should develop modular and flexible digital solutions that local governments can adapt to their needs.
- Promote Interoperability, Not Uniformity: Rather than forcing a single application across all regions, we should build interoperable systems that allow local applications to communicate with national platforms without sacrificing their specific functionalities.
- Empower Local Digital Innovation: Encourage local governments to develop needs-based digital solutions, supported by central funding and expertise but without unnecessary restrictions.
- Strengthen Local Collaboration: Prioritize intergovernmental cooperation, ensuring that best practices are shared and adapted based on regional strengths rather than imposed through a centralized system.
Conclusion
Super apps are not inherently bad—but when they become tools for enforcing uniformity instead of empowering local innovation, they undermine the essence of local autonomy. If we want to adopt digital governance, we must do so in a way that enhances local governments’ strengths rather than merely making them conform to a system designed for the capital.
The future of governance should not be about making local governments fit into a centralized digital mold—but about leveraging technology to empower them based on their unique strengths.
As Sen (1999) asserts in Development as Freedom, technology must fulfill its true purpose: assisting marginalized communities, strengthening societies, and ensuring governance is built on inclusivity rather than centralized control. Only then can technology truly serve as a tool for effective and inclusive policymaking.
* Sen, Amartya. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford University Press.
The Tale of The Incompetent Leaders
The Incompetence May Create The Dysfunctional Workplaces
Mostly in public organizations, workplace is not a byproduct of bad systems or lazy staff. Its more often than not, a reflection of the leader’s incompetence. A leader that have the key to determine how the organization’s will run or just going in the same place all over again, draining the operational budget without having output or outcome. A leader who lacks character, clarity and courage breeds confusion, distrust and disengangement. As the saying goes, “a fish rots from the head down”.
People may get the leadership role through a nasty politics, and then its up to their own moral commitment on how to run the rules. At the core of great leadership lies integrity- even when they got the place with some ‘push’ but people would watch, about how they doing the right thing even when its hard, when no one watching. Incompetents leaders would fail if they talk about values, but not embody them. When they demand loyalty, but betray the trust of their coworkers or clients. They make the staff making sacrifice, yet unwilling to sacrifice their own ego or convenience.
Albert Schweitzer have a great quote for that “example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing”. If the leader can’t show the right moves, they can create the rejection and rebellion that would run on the grass. A dysfunctional workplace under poor leadership marked by indecisiveness, finger-pointing, and a lack of psychological safety. Team members would afraid to speak up, reluctant to take initiatives, and unsure where the organizations heading. Eventually, the best ones leaves, other may rest stay and survive- but stop thriving.
What A Good Leader Actually Does
In my opinion, with a few workplace in my career. I define the good leadership is not about the charisma, seniority or power. They lead by example, by hearing and understanding our needs, values, strength, to overcome our weakness and then leading to be the best version of ourselves. They’re first to take responsibility, they’re the last to leave when things go wrong, and the first to act when tough choices must be made. They dont just ask people to be better, they show them how. In my experience, most people just want to make their work great and impactful, naturally, if we aim the same purpose, to make things great, the rest would follow the lead without any resistance if there’s no big sacrifice that must been made.
“Before you are a leader, success is about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is about growing other” - Jack Welch
The best leaders are often not the loudest, but the most consistent. Their people dont fear them, but feel safe around them. They know where the theme is going. And they know their leader wont throw then under the bus to protect their own image. This need trust that made by earning that. That safety-emotional, professional, and ethical- is what separates functional workplaces from toxic ones.
What Incompetent Leaders Leave Behind
To knowing the damage left by poor leadership isnt always immediate. In my observation, it would build the certain situation slowly, that finally the crisis create the other martyr or leadership without position that they would listen and asking the advice or just get the most popular votes.
Sometimes people are not really that lazy, they’re just disillusioned. Most professionals wants to care, but when they dont see the leaders living the values they talk about- integrity, fairness, service- they slowly stop believing in the work, too.
“If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you” - Indra Nooyi.
What Makes a Leader Worth Following
- Live their values, not pushing people around, but influence and inspire them
- Put team goals above personal gain
- Make people heard, safe to speak, fail and grow
- Consistent of their word and their action- not just charismatic
- Understand that leadership is service- not self-promotion
The nice workplace are shaped daily by the behaviour and modeled from the top. Great leaders dont have to be perfect, but they have to be authentic and clear about the vision where they were lead. They have to be willing to go first. To be the kind of person other people can rely on when the things get hard. Because when the leader are competent and courageous, people rise. When they’re not, everything else slowly falls apart and would be not nice to work in.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
waktu yang terbuang, yang tak pernah datang
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
tertanggal hari ini
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
satu hari lagi
Monday, May 26, 2025
pada akhirnya
Friday, May 23, 2025
kemungkinan kemungkinan
Monday, May 19, 2025
kebahagiaan yang lain
Monday, May 12, 2025
hidup di memori
Saturday, May 10, 2025
libur
setiap hari menjadi pikiran
menenun harapan pada hal hal
yang tak pernah bisa aku kendalikan
mengagumimu menguras tenaga
ditenangkan olehmu jadi candu
yang selalu kuinginkan berkali kali
merusak otak dan hatiku
hari ini aku libur
menahan diri untuk bisa jadi waras
berpikir jernih tentang hal hal
yang tak lagi bisa kudapatkan
semoga besok aku bisa bangun
mencintaimu dengan tulus
kagum dengan tidak merusak
kebun bunga indah yang kau tanam
hari ini aku meliburkan diri
setelah bekerja keras
menghargai diriku sendiri
mencoba satu kali lagi
mencintai diriku sendiri
dengan lebih keras
10/05
Friday, May 9, 2025
Bara
Thursday, May 8, 2025
apa kata kata tak perlu
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
mimpi
Sunday, April 27, 2025
setiap hari
Monday, April 21, 2025
ketenangan
atau pertemuan makan siang ke dua puluh
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
yang paling aku cinta
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
keduabelas
Monday, March 10, 2025
ingatan
samar samar diingat
hari hari yang menjemukan
Sunday, March 9, 2025
baru
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
pertanyaan
hidup yang menginginkanku
Friday, February 28, 2025
Kekacauan di Kepala #fragments03
Kara tidak bisa tidur lagi. Akhir akhir ini ia hanya bisa light sleep, tidur dengan gelisah selama empat sampai lima jam saja. Jantungnya terasa berdetak setengah ketukan lebih cepat dari biasanya. Keringat dingin melembabkan telapak tangannya. Kamarnya gelap gulita, menyisakan cahaya dari kaca balkon yang menyuguhkan pemandangan kota dari lantai tiga belas gedung apartemennya. Apartemen busuk dengan pemandangan paling menakjubkan adalah impiannya sejak kecil. Sejak keluar dari rumah hangatnya di kampung halaman yang punya halaman luas dan tetangga yang saling mengenal. Ramai dan mengenal satu sama lain. Sekarang ia bahkan tak ingin mengenal dirinya sendiri.
Ia bangkit dengan gerakan mendadak, meraih ponselnya. Tidak ada pesan baru. Namun, rasa was-was tidak juga hilang. Ia menatap pantulan dirinya di cermin kamar dalam kegelapan, wajahnya tampak lebih pucat dari biasanya, mata cekung akibat kurang tidur. Ada sesuatu yang berubah dalam dirinya sejak malam itu, sesuatu yang ia tidak bisa definisikan.
Terdengar suara ketukan pelan.
Kara membeku. Ia menatap pintu apartemennya, jantungnya berdegup lebih kencang. Tidak ada yang pernah datang ke tempatnya pada jam seperti ini.
Ketukan itu terdengar lagi. Pelan, tapi tegas.
Kara meraih sesuatu dari meja—pisau lipat kecil yang selalu ia simpan untuk berjaga-jaga. Ia berjalan mendekati pintu tanpa suara, menempelkan telinganya di permukaan kayu. Tidak ada suara lain.
Ia menahan napas, lalu mengintip melalui lubang intip.
Kosong. Lorong apartemen tampak sepi, diterangi lampu neon yang berpendar dingin. Tapi Kara tahu perasaan ini—perasaan seperti sedang diawasi dari sudut gelap yang tidak terlihat.
Ia menghela napas, berusaha meyakinkan dirinya sendiri bahwa ia hanya paranoid. Mungkin hanya tetangga yang salah mengetuk pintu. Mungkin hanya suara dari unit sebelah yang terdengar lebih dekat daripada seharusnya.
Tapi perasaan itu tidak hilang.
Keesokan harinya, Kara memutuskan untuk menggali lebih dalam tentang pesan yang ia terima. Ia menarik kursi ke meja kecil di apartemennya, menyalakan macbooknya, dan mulai menelusuri rekam jejak digitalnya.
Siapa pun yang mengirim pesan itu, mereka jelas tahu sesuatu yang tidak ia ketahui. Ia mencoba menelusuri nomor yang mengirimnya, tetapi hasilnya nihil—sebuah akun anonim, tanpa data yang bisa dilacak.
Ia mulai mengutak-atik sistem, mengingat kembali keterampilan kecil yang pernah ia pelajari saat membantu temannya yang seorang programmer di kampus dulu. Dengan program sederhana, ia mencoba melacak IP pengirim. Layar berkedip, muncul deretan angka. Lokasi yang terbaca membuat tengkuknya meremang—koordinat yang menunjukkan titik tidak jauh dari apartemennya sendiri.
Kara menelan ludah. Ini bukan kebetulan.
Lalu ia menemukan sesuatu.
Di antara email pekerjaannya, ada satu pesan yang tertanggal beberapa minggu lalu, terkubur di folder spam. Tidak ada pengirim yang jelas, hanya sebuah alamat acak yang tampak seperti kode yang dihasilkan komputer. Ada satu lampiran, sebuah file dengan ekstensi yang tidak biasa.
Dengan ragu, ia mengkliknya.
Layar berkedip. Sebuah file terbuka—foto hitam-putih, buram, seolah diambil dari CCTV dengan kualitas rendah. Gambar itu menunjukkan seseorang yang berdiri di bawah lampu jalan. Orang yang sama yang ia lihat malam itu.
Ia membesarkan gambar, mencoba mencari detail lebih jelas. Jaket hitam panjang, posisi tubuh yang sedikit condong ke depan, seakan sedang menunggu sesuatu. Tapi yang membuatnya menggigil adalah sesuatu di dinding belakang pria itu.
Sebuah simbol, samar namun masih bisa dikenali.
Kara memperbesar lagi. Ini bukan pertama kalinya ia melihat simbol ini. Bentuknya mirip dengan yang ada di berkas proyek drainase yang ia tangani bulan lalu. Proyek yang seharusnya hanya tentang perbaikan sistem air, tapi entah kenapa banyak data yang dikunci oleh pemerintah kota.
Sebelum ia sempat berpikir lebih jauh, layarnya tiba-tiba mati sendiri.
Gelap.
Hanya pantulan wajahnya yang kini terlihat di permukaan layar hitam, mata penuh kebingungan dan ketakutan yang mulai merayap naik.
Ada yang tidak beres.
Dan Kara tahu, seseorang sedang memperhatikan setiap langkahnya.