Every city has its own way of listening to its citizens. Some still rely on complaint counters, while others have developed digital systems to address complaints across time and space.
However, the measure of success is not how many complaint channels are opened, but how quickly citizens' voices are transformed into real action.
The city of Surabaya, East Java, is currently testing this approach through the "Lapor Cak Eri" Hotline service at 0811338884 which only serves short messages, not phone calls.
Through this service, the Surabaya City Government is striving to bridge the gap between the public and the bureaucracy. In the approximately two months since its launch, the hotline received 9,217 complaints, with 9,077 of them resolved by mid-July 2026.
These figures demonstrate two things: First, the public is increasingly emboldened to raise concerns. Second, the government is being urged to act more quickly, as each report reflects the quality of public service.
