Starting in November 2005, the Center for Regional Information and Studies (PATTIRO) implemented the program "Developing a Community-Based Complaint Mechanism for Public Services." The program was carried out in three cities on the island of Java: Tangerang City in Banten Province, Semarang City in Central Java Province, and Malang City in East Java Province. Two months later, in February 2006, implementation began in Jeneponto and Bantaeng districts in South Sulawesi Province. In early April 2006, it was extended to West Lombok district in West Nusa Tenggara.

The program was grounded in the recognition that hopes for improved public service delivery under regional autonomy had yet to be fulfilled. The high expectations following the enactment of Law No. 22/1999 in 2001 had still not materialized. Regional governance had seen no meaningful improvement, space for community participation remained insufficiently open, and bringing public services closer to communities did not translate into better service quality.