Public Service Dynamics in Population Administration Sector: A Study on Electronic ID Card Service in Makassar Indonesia

Public services in population administration sector in Indonesia is currently facing a major challenge, i.e. to reach an integrated national population data through the e-ID Card, expected to be completed in 2017. Along with the decentralization of authority for recording and printing to the district/city, there are still barriers occuring in the field. This study aims to reveal the dynamics of the existing public service problems comprehensively through a qualitative approach and case study. The direct involvement of society in e-ID Card public service becomes crucial particularly to increase public awareness of the urgency of demographic data, including having an e-ID Card. There are two major problems in the e-ID Card public service in Makassar, i.e. 1) the issue of regional institutions; they are still weak both in terms of human resources, equipment, and the distribution and 2) public understanding is still low and people have not been responsive to demographic events. This requires the ability of local governments to respond to problems quickly and accurately. The study shows that the paradigm of New Public Services (NPS) in e-ID Card public service has been well implemented, including to encourage similar awareness of the community in interpreting the policy of demographic data integration. One of the effective efforts conducted by Makassar Municipal Government is the proactive services, picking up the ball directly in the target communities.