Information civilization has entered the era of digitalization. This has made many countries including Indonesia compete to implement digital technology in various public services. Usually, a country starts a transformation project into smart nations by introducing the concept of smart city.
Smart city is a concept of city transformation through the use of potential from the internet which is believed to be able to be a solution in reducing problems in forming cities and increasing human productivity in it. The development of cities towards smart cities begins with the use of a technology that transforms to problems whose nature prioritizes change.
Singapore as one of the countries that implements the smart city concept that has succeeded in adopting public services and implementing E-Government by ranking 7th in the world. The Singapore government made plans regarding E-Government by implementing it into capability as the first attempt on the availability of a house of governance.
The first attempt to realize the great SPBE in Singapore was to employ 4.44 people. The Singapore government is involved in several universities, including the Republic Polytechnic (RP) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Attracting skilled employees to support government and the economy, especially the technology sector. In addition, as many employees previously worked in Singapore and became State Civil Apparatus (ASN training and mentoring at Civil Service College (CSC).
Success with smart cities, the Lion Country immediately moved quickly to realize its transformation as smart nations. Recently, Singapore's Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lawrence Wong launched Smart Nation 2.0, a new vision aimed at building a society that is ready to develop in the digital era. This initiative emphasizes three main goals, namely trust, growth, and the community.
These three pillars are designed to improve the quality of life of citizens while ensuring that Singapore can quickly adapt to digital trends and technological advances that continue to grow. AI and Science Innovation Led by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Smart Nation 2.0 introduced the AI for Science program. The program aims to develop and adopt AI methods and tools that can be applied in various disciplines, focusing on increasing research productivity and advancing scientific discoveries. Collaboration between AI researchers and scientific domain experts will be encouraged, especially in areas such as advanced material research as well as biomedical and health science.
Smart Nation 2.0 is designed to better leverage digital technology to increase productivity, public services, and overall quality of life. This program emphasizes:
Stronger AI infrastructure development: Singapore is committed to building infrastructure that supports advanced technologies, including better data analytics capabilities. This is expected to facilitate the implementation of AI in various sectors, such as science and health research. Increased Cyber Security in the face of cyber threats and technological challenges are a top priority, given the increasingly complex digital ecosystem. Ethical Use of Innovation: Smar.0 ensures that the use of technology is carried out taking into account aspects of ethics and responsibility.
So, what about Indonesia itself? In an assessment conducted by the International Insitute for Management on the country's ability to utilize and develop digital technology to accelerate the country's economic growth and competitiveness, it can be seen that Indonesia's readiness is still quite low. This is evident from the index that measures three main components, namely knowledge, technology infrastructure and future readiness below.
Table World Digital Competitiveness 2024
| Measurement | Indonesia | Singapore | Indicator Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketahuan | 47.16 | 95.40 | 48.24 |
| Infrastruktur Teknologi | 61.79 | 97.58 | 35.79 |
| Kecepatan Masa Depan | 68 | 100 | 32 | Peringkat Global | 43 | 1 | 42 |
Source: IMD
The table above shows that Indonesia, which is now ranked 43rd, is still lagging behind compared to Singapore, which is ranked first, the gap in this assessment reflects the existence of quite contrasting differences from several key aspects that affect the country's competitiveness in dealing with technology disruption. Singapore's higher digital literacy is supported by large government investments in the latest technology education and training system. Meanwhile, Indonesia still faces challenges in terms of education quality, workforce skills and scientific research that can support digital innovation.
As for infrastructure, Indonesia is also 35,79 points behind Singapore. Singapore is considered to have infrastructure that tends to be stable in supporting technology-based industrial development, on the other hand, Indonesia is still hampered in infrastructure development and equity, especially in non-urban areas. Based on research, countries that have better technology infrastructure such as Singapore, will be better able to facilitate more innovation development so that it will also affect the increase in the competitiveness of countries at the global level.
Significant differences are also highlighted in future readiness indicators between Indonesia, which won 68 points while Singapore was able to record perfect value. Several studies show that underconsistent policies and low infrastructure support will complicate the country's future digital readiness. Meanwhile, Singapore has been able to realize a mature ecosystem related to policies that are integrated with technological innovation through Smart Nation initiatives.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Wisnu Wijanarko, Ramidy, Ronald Tanamas
Quelle/Source: VOI, 25.06.2025
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