The visionary jargon of "Golden Generation toward Great Indonesia" may only be a part of historical documents. We were once determined to "take off", but has that happened yet? Not yet!
To welcome the 100th year of Indonesian independence with its demographic bonus, the determination to realize the golden generation in 2045 requires hard work. The golden generation is a not a generation that has a lot of gold, but a competitive generation. To what extent and how many children of the nation comprehend, are committed and consistent to realize the golden generation? We all need to comprehend that other nations also touch up their competitive generation. Speed and acceleration in the race to realize the competitive generation becomes keys of success.
Most people, even leaders and teachers, are still shackled by the sparkle of a country that is rich in oil and abundant in natural resources. Many of them do not realize that those who enjoy our natural resources can possibly be the people of Singapore China, Japan, America or Europe. As an example, Wikipedia discloses that Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco booked revenues of US$478 billion in 2015, but three giant oil companies belonging to China booked $1.251 billion in the corresponding period. Meanwhile, state-oil company Pertamina only booked $70 billion. In the past, natural resources were enjoyed by people in the surrounding areas. Now, the people in the surrounding areas only become spectators.
There are still many parties that demand welfare by referring to the natural resource wealth. We have lots of potential, including those which will run out in the near future, such as oil, or the renewable ones, such as oil palm, marine food and sunshine. In the past we exported oil, now we import it. Unfortunately, in the past we subsidized our imports of fuel, which was valued at the current rate of over Rp 4,000 trillion in 10 years. This is an example of the natural resource trap. When the natural resources are depleted, we have to import, the people demand low fuel prices. The government has to rely on a populist policy to follow the natural resource trap, which is short-sighted and not strategic.
The natural resource trap becomes a big obstacle in the effort to realize the golden generation. Relying heavily on natural resources has misled us. In many developed countries, it is the innovative human resources that make them competitive and live prosperously. The rich countries, such as Singapore, Korea, Norway, Switzerland and Luxemburg, do not have abundant natural resources. They are prosperous because of the competitive human resources. Singapore is the richest in Asia because of the expertise of its human resources to utilize natural resources of other countries, including from Indonesia.
Position of Indonesian human resources
We have to acknowledge, after the 72nd year of independence, Indonesia\'s human resources is still far from the "golden" quality. There are Indonesian people, who have competitive capability, but their number is limited. Based on data of the World Economic Forum, Indonesia\'s competitive rank dropped from the 37th in 2015 to 41st in 2016. Meanwhile, Singapore ranked second and Malaysia 25th in 2016.
According to 2002-2006 data from IQ-research, the average IQ of Indonesian people is only 87, the same as Iraqis and Myanmarese who are still in a war condition. Meanwhile, the highest IQ in the first and third ranks is held by Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and China with an average IQ of 108-105. Malaysia, which is of the same Malay family, is ranked 15th with an average IQ of 92 and Vietnam sits at 13th with an average IQ of 94.
The IQ average constitutes the main indicator of the golden generation. If Indonesia\'s IQ rank is left far behind, how about the physical rank? In the 2014 Asian Games in Seoul, Indonesia\'s gold medal collection per 1 million people was ranked 40th and Singapore was the first. In reality, in terms of the number of population, Indonesia was the third. Therefore, in terms of physical condition and intelligence, Indonesia remains to be the "generation of loyang (iron plate)".
The low level of the average IQ of Indonesian people is related to the absorption of nutrition and the level of the health of babies and children. The low level of nutrition status and health of the Indonesian people has been disclosed for many time. We have been forced to have people who become "burdens", not human resources. However, only a handful of them realize and move to get rid of the lack of nutrition and health of the next generation.
Even though the National Planning and Development Agency has launched the program of the first 1,000 days in life, the early human resources investment movements in the number of regions have not been adequate. Actually about 80 percent of human brains, which become the source of the high rate of IQ and competitiveness, are formed during the pregnancy period up to nearly 100 percent at the age of three years. The United States has long had a food stamp program, a coupon of nutritious food for pregnant women and children of poor families. They do not want the next generation to not have good brains and not be as competitive. We have started with the hope family program, but is its "dosage" enough to build the golden generation? Investment for brains constitutes "hardware" investment.
We still need the "soft ware" investments in the form of appropriate and qualified education. Have we done it?
Challenges
Now we are working hard to encourage the golden generation through the "soft ware". However, possibly the capacity and potentials of the "hard ware" are not ready. The results will be a "hang" position. We are committed to fund the hard ware (health) at 5 percent of the stage budget and soft ware at 20 percent of the state budget. Not many people realize that the "hard ware" investment through health in the Indonesia is the worst in countries with equal economic condition. If investment for human resources, which constitutes the durable capital, is not accelerated, there is a great possibility the golden generation will just become a dream.
Investment for the brains of the children of the nation requires one generation. The duration of the investment has to remained constant and requires commitment of the winners of general elections in a short term of at least five years. There are still serious and compact efforts by all political parties to find programs that are constant and do not easily change due to changes of leadership. Adequate comprehension and commitment of the leaders of central government and regional administrations will determine whether the golden generation will be realized or not. Have they been done?
All elements of the community have to understand and be committed to the ideals of the golden generation. If not, this nation will become the victim of competition in the future, one generation from now. Hopefully the political competition in the future is based on the objective to realize the golden generation in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
HASBULLAH THABRANY
Expert Staff of National Social Security Council; Professor of the University of Indonesia
