Optimistic, Indonesia will Move Forward

· 6 minutes read

The young people of today are optimistic that the founding fathers’ dreams of an advanced and prosperous Indonesia will be realized. The 74th anniversary of Indonesian independence is an occasion to unite in realizing their optimism.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The people still hold fast to the ideal of an Indonesian nation that is developed, united and prosperous, as envisioned by the founding fathers. However, today’s younger generation want to ground these ideals in tangible and measurable efforts so they can soon take shape.

KOMPAS/HERLAMBANG JALUARDI
Actress Putri Ayudya, 30, poses at the Epicentrum XXI cinema, South Jakarta, on 19 December 2018. She has played in a number of feature films such as Guru Bangsa: Tjokroaminoto (2015), Wage (2017), and The Adventure of Catching Lightning (2018). Now she tries to become one of the producers in her latest drama film project.
The results of a Kompas Research & Development survey held on 7-8 Aug. 2019 shows that "advanced" was the top response (17.9 percent) when respondents were asked what word popped up in their minds upon hearing “Indonesia”. The survey, which involved 525 respondents of a minimum age of 17 across 17 major cities in Indonesia, reveals optimism for Indonesia’s future.
Kompas contacted eight young men and women of various backgrounds on Thursday (15/8/2019), who all believed that Indonesia would become an advanced country. They said progress could be made through global achievements in science and technology. In addition, progress could be made in greater acceptance of diversity among its citizens, access to health care and equal education, state protection of workers, and to ensure equal distribution of wealth and optimal natural resource management to benefit the people.
Some young people are not only optimistic, but have also made achievements in their own fields to contribute to Indonesia’s progress. One such youth is Indonesian sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri, 19, who holds the Southeast Asian record of 10.03 seconds and is working hard towards a medal attempt at the Tokyo. Olympics. Zohri is dedicated and disciplined in his training, including his diet and sleeping habits. He has made personal sacrifices to contribute to raising the nation’s name.
KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO
Lalu Muhammad Zohri, the winner of the men\'s 100 meters at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Maintaining optimism
Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) chair Jimly Asshiddiqie said that the word "advanced" had two meanings. First, the word reflected the people’s positive attitude for national progress. The conditions in Indonesia today were viewed as more advanced than previous years. The people had noted encouraging developments in the country.
"Second, the word \'advanced\' reflects optimism about the future. This optimism is valuable capital in developing and achieving a better Indonesia in the future," said Jimly.
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) professor Azyumardi Azra explained that, in the minds of many Indonesians, "advanced" meant modern or progress in science and
technology, society and economics. Indonesia enjoyed the benefits of not being burdened with past glory, so it could be freer in heading towards a modern and advanced future in science and technology.
Upholding justice
foto-foto: Kompas/Herlambang Jaluardi
Tyovan Ari Widagdo, the founder of the Bahaso start-up business containing the English lessons
Tyovan Ari Widagdo, 29, the founder of the Bahaso application, has developed information and communications technology (ICT) to improve education and the people\'s economy. He imagines that by Indonesia’s centennial in 2045, the country would be a developed country, with all elements of society having access to quality education and health services.
"We don\'t want to see people starving or denied access to good health care. That means we have to first cover all the basics," Tyovan said.
Once basic needs were complete, Indonesia would be able to tend to broader matters, such as knowledge development and improving Indonesia\'s global role. However, these could be achieved only if the political elite could work together for the national interest, not the interests of individual groups.
KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN
Faisal Oddang, a short story writer
Writer Faisal Oddang, 25, also hopes for equality. He dreams of an Indonesia that possesses high literacy. However, his hope faces current limitations in access to books outside of Java. Books tend to be more expensive outside Java. The distribution of new titles takes long and incurs certain costs that burden the reading public.
In the world of cinema, 31-year-old filmmaker Putri Ayudya imagines an Indonesia that has regulations that protect workers and uphold welfare and justice in the creative industries. She hopes for a regulation on fair profit sharing between producers and artists. Without this regulation, creative professionals are akin to freelance workers who depend on others to offer (film) projects.
Shared house
Kompas
Sakdiyah Makruf (29), stand-up co
For female comedian Sakdiyah Ma\'ruf, 37, who is on the BBC\'s list of 100 influential women, the Indonesia of the future is a shared house. Diyah says that Indonesia could be a home for all, regardless of an individual’s ethnic background, religion or other personal identity.
To achieve this, Indonesian must be able to recreate the momentum that gave rise to the 1928 Youth Pledge, when all societal elements fought for a common identity.
ARSIP PRIBADI
Utomo Wasisto, Executive Coordinator of the Indonesian-German Center for Nano and Quantum Technologies, Germany
East Java Deputy Governor Emil Elestianto Dardak, who is 35, said that the fundamental value of nationalism and the nation\'s economic ideology were being tested, and that the Indonesian people must continue to adapt to the increasing dynamics. This meant that every step forward must be taken in consideration of all different viewpoints.
"And this is where we are being tested to remain united and not easily divided, especially amid the increasingly freer information and widespread opinion, even complicated by hoaxes at times," he said.
Technology and science
In technology and science, Hutomo Suryo Wasisto, the 32-year-old CEO of the Indonesian-German Center for Nano and Quantum Technologies (IG-Nano) – a research center in Braunschweig, Germany, that was established under cooperation between the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the Technische Universität Braunschweig – said Indonesia would become a major power in science. Foreign scientists would study in Indonesia, and the country would generate more and more world-class entrepreneurs through technological mastery. These entrepreneurs would then broaden business fields and become one of the pillars of the Indonesian economy.
In addition, cooperation between the Indonesian diaspora with the government and the Indonesian public, especially in science and higher education, would improve the country’s human resource quality. However, these efforts must be continuous and long-term.
KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG
Annawati, Achmad Bakrie 2019 Award winner in the field of science.
Anawati, 39, who heads the physics program at the University of Indonesia and is the recipient of the 2019 Achmad Bakrie Award in science, said Indonesia had two key advantages to becoming a strong country: an abundance of human resources and natural resources. She pointed to Norway, which was currently one of the richest countries in Europe, bus was a poor country only a few decades ago. When oil fields were discovered in the country in the late 1960s, the government developed research policies to support the oil industry.
"Indonesia has the potential to rise because the government’s policies tread the right path [towards] the development of human resources to manage its natural resources," she said.
In this, she hoped that the government would develop research infrastructure. Furthermore, she hoped that it would base all government policies on research, as big data had become a necessity in the Industry 4.0 era, and research-based policies would be more focused and targeted. (ELN/ETA/BIL/GAL/DRI/HEI/LUK/REK)

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