Abdullah Azwar Anas, the Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (MenPAN-RB), has revealed that the government's budget for application development has reached an astonishing Rp 6.7 trillion. Anas also noted that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has issued a clear directive to halt the creation of new applications by ministries and institutions.

During the "Transformation of the Ministry of Finance Towards an Adaptive, Productive, and Future-Oriented Bureaucracy" event held on YouTube on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Anas explained, "Yesterday, I checked, and there was Rp 6.7 trillion allocated for applications. The President has instructed that there should not be one innovation for every application. We tend to enjoy building applications, even though these applications cannot communicate with each other."

Historically, government officials often created new applications as a means of innovation. As a result, the government has initiated measures to reduce and prohibit the creation of new applications.

Anas explained that the government has successfully reduced expenditures by halting the creation of new applications, resulting in savings of Rp 641 billion. He hopes that application expenses can continue to be curtailed in the future.

He also highlighted the role of vendors in the application development process, stating, "I apologize, but sometimes we are dictated by vendors, even though we do not understand the system. The President's directive is to reduce expenditures. Yesterday, we managed to reduce Rp 641 billion from our technology spending."

This budget reduction is part of bureaucratic reform efforts. Ministries, institutions, and local governments are expected to focus more on poverty alleviation, investment, domestic product procurement, and inflation control.

All of these bureaucratic reform efforts can be facilitated through digitalization, but not through numerous separate applications. Instead, a single, user-friendly application is preferred.

Currently, technology spending by ministries, institutions, and local governments is monitored by the central government. Three ministries are responsible for approving technology spending proposals: the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Communication and Information.

President Joko Widodo had previously ordered ministries and institutions to cease creating multiple applications. Jokowi prefers that public services be accessible through a single application to prevent difficulties for the public when accessing government services.

This initiative aligns with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 132 of 2022 on the National Electronic Government System Architecture (SPPBE).

Anas emphasized that there are currently around 27,000 government service applications spread across various ministries and institutions. According to him, Jokowi is bothered by the abundance of these applications, which actually hinder public access to services.

As a result, the President has requested that the Coordinating Ministry conduct audits and classify the hundreds of overlapping applications with the hope of integrating them into a unified government digital service.

The translation appears to be in line with proper English writing conventions. However, minor adjustments may be needed for improved flow and readability. If you have any specific concerns or suggestions for further refinement, please let me know.