The 75th anniversary of independence is a good reminder of Indonesia’s vision to become a developed country with a per capita income of Rp 320 million (US$21,813) by 2045, when the country will turn 100. Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko spoke recently with The Jakarta Post’s editor-in-chief Nezar Patria during a Jakpost Up Close webinar about the human capital development plans President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s government has laid out to achieve this vision.
Question: What are some of the things that we need to address in the next 25 years?
Answer: The basic thing that we need to focus on in the future, in my opinion, is that Indonesia must become a new force, a new sphere in Asia. We believe that Indonesia, with a projected population of roughly 318 million by 2045, is a tremendous force. We have our own large domestic market.
We are also now preparing a grand design for national talent management. I believe that this generation will become a core mover in Indonesia.
We face a number of issues regarding the development of our human resources, such as stunting and a lack of skills. How will we prepare for the next five years so that we can take full advantage of the upcoming demographic bonus?
When we talk about the human development index, the first thing we talk about is health. We are still experiencing high maternal mortality and child mortality rates. But we forecast that by 2024, we will move toward a lower child mortality rate of 21 per 1,000 [live births].
Next, if we look at the stunting rate, right now we are still at 24 percent, but President Jokowi said we have to push ahead to get to 17 percent. For this reason, stunting [prevention] has now become a national movement. Our approach is to find ways to increase protein consumption to help eliminate stunting.
Another program being run by the government is the Family Hope Program [PKH], which is aimed at improving nutrition. Initially, there were 9.4 million beneficiaries who received Rp 120,000 per month each, now there are 10 million who receive Rp 200,000 per month.
After six months of struggling to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate, can you tell us some of the noteworthy lessons we have learned and achievements we have made?
There has been an increase in social awareness, which can be used as social capital for the nation's development in the future. The first one is gotong royong [mutual cooperation]. Next, there is the struggle not to give in, which makes us independent. Then, the feeling of solidarity has also built up very well, which is an asset in uniting us around a common vision.
Post-COVID-19, there needs to be recovery, reform and transformation efforts. For the restoration of our economy, we need to recover quickly. Then, in the future, we must immediately carry out reforms in the health sector, as well as bureaucratic reform.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has required a transformation in education, from face-to-face to online learning. The transformation of the economic sector must also be pushed forward.
What critical points must we address to improve our national resilience, given current global political developments?
Strengthening the Pancasila ideology is a must amid today’s global situation, in which there are no longer boundaries that prevent people from discussing certain things. The way I see it, a great nation cannot exist without a strong ideology.
Furthermore, from the political side, we are currently going through an extraordinary growth in democracy. However, in my opinion, the understanding of democracy needs to be put within the right context. You can’t act arbitrarily in the name of democracy, or claim that you are the most righteous.
From a sociocultural perspective, we must not let ourselves be a culturally colonized nation.
Could you explain the government’s contingency plan for handling the pandemic in the long-term? What do we need to salvage to keep us on track for the 2045 roadmap?
I think for the continuity of development in the future, the first of the five things Pak Jokowi has identified is human resources development. Everything is managed so that the human development index will increase properly.
Next, infrastructure development will continue. If we build highways now, then infrastructure development in the future will be more focused on developing new areas, including tourism areas, industrial areas and housing areas. Furthermore, infrastructure development not only includes land-based infrastructure but also seaports and airports.
We also need infrastructure development in agriculture, education and health. Cutting bureaucratic red tape is also a must as [regulatory certainty] is one of the prerequisites for attracting investment. Lastly, we must head toward economic transformation, as it's imperative that we “catch up”.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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August 31, 2020 at 08:48AM
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