The Indonesian government plans to produce more locally sourced and made electronic gadgets, and one that stands out in the discussion is Laptop Merah-Putih. The government collaborates with higher educational institutions and industry players for the programme. 

The higher educational institutions that carry out the Laptop Merah-Putih development project are the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and Sepuluh Nopember Technology Institute (ITS), said Ari Indrayanto, lecturer of electronics at ITB. He added that the collaboration opens opportunity for transfer of knowledge among the institutions. 

The government will allocate Rp3.7 trillion to produce about 431,730 units of laptop. Laptops produced under the project will have the local content level (TKDN) certificate. 

Six domestic manufacturers have more than 25% TKDN, namely Zyrexindo Mandiri Buana, Tera Data Indonesia, Supertone, Evercoss Technology Indonesia, Bangga Teknologi Indonesia and Acer Manufacturing Indonesia.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on 22 July stated that government spending for locally produced goods on the education sector, especially for technology, informatics and computers, is still very low. The Laptop Merah-Putih programme is a way to push more local spending by the government.

In response to the programme, former maritime affairs and fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti questioned the government’s financial decisions during a crisis. On her Twitter account, she stated, “Give the money for direct cash assistance. Allow them to choose what they need for the day and purchase it.”