VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Managing director of development policy and partnerships at the World Bank, Mari Elka Pangestu. (ANTARA/Saptono/wpa/aww)

The Indonesian government needs to carry out data synchronization to accelerate the distribution of social assistance among the people, said managing director of development policy and partnerships at the World Bank, Mari Elka Pangestu.

"Our recommendation is for Indonesia to have trusted and inter-operated data with payment system," Pangestu said at an online discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

She said countries that carry out data synchronization can distribute social assistance quickly and according to target, which, in turn, can ease the burden on the people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The lesson learned in distributing social assistance is the importance of data and digital presence of ID that links to the funding system. Indonesia already has a high covered ID system, but the problem is on the data," she pointed out.

Pangestu said speeding up the distribution of social assistance, such as cash aid, is very much needed as empirically, it is the best way to reach all people impacted by COVID-19.

"Most countries are using cash aid instruments — that is empirically the best and most direct way to reach the people and keep those who have lost their income safe," she added.

Furthermore, she stressed on technology development and data improvement, not only at the government level but at the smallest level, such as neighborhood administrations.

She said she believed that such methods can sustain the acceleration of social assistance distribution, as well as other policies that need to hit the target.

"Without data, we need to be creative and innovative in using existing data that can be expanded as a data system that can be used," she averred. (ANTARA)