[An essay I submitted to the MOE Pre University and Secondary School Scholarships committee.]
Indonesians are trapped in historical romanticism for a reason: this archipelagic country was once indeed a great nation who stood up against post-colonialism inequality while promoting cooperation in order to accelerate the accomplishment of post-World War II development agendas. The establishment of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the success of Bandung Conference and consequentially Non- Aligned Movement, as well as Indonesia’s victory over the Netherlands in the case of West Papua; these three cases are enough evidence to demonstrate Indonesia’s outstanding performance back then. Not only were we the pioneer of great initiatives in the region, Indonesia was also respected as one of the game- makers during the Cold War era—hence validating the claim I made in the beginning of this essay.
Having undergone over 67 years as an independent republic, however, it is essential for us to stop glorifying the past and question our current standing: where are we right now? Have we lived the pride our Founding Fathers had about a harmoniously prosperous people they dreamt of? If not, what went wrong and—more importantly—how could we fix them? These inquiries are very pivotal drivers for today’s young generation lest this nation seeks to move on from exalting the past and start being proud Indonesians. Deep down, I always believe that if we manage to unleash all of Indonesia’s potentials, this country will not only reemergence as the leader of the Third World: we can be one of world’s greatest state-actors both in economic and political sectors. The following paragraphs will explicate further upon the foundational strategy that is deemed essential to achieve such an ambitious notion—each of which covers both national and international aspect of the policy.
I. Open Government: Bureaucratic Reform as the Backbone of Change
II. The Archipelago Economy: (Agricultural) Growth for All
III. Take Big Jargons to the Extra Miles: Reestablishing Leadership In the Region
Footnotes:
Indonesians are trapped in historical romanticism for a reason: this archipelagic country was once indeed a great nation who stood up against post-colonialism inequality while promoting cooperation in order to accelerate the accomplishment of post-World War II development agendas. The establishment of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the success of Bandung Conference and consequentially Non- Aligned Movement, as well as Indonesia’s victory over the Netherlands in the case of West Papua; these three cases are enough evidence to demonstrate Indonesia’s outstanding performance back then. Not only were we the pioneer of great initiatives in the region, Indonesia was also respected as one of the game- makers during the Cold War era—hence validating the claim I made in the beginning of this essay.
Having undergone over 67 years as an independent republic, however, it is essential for us to stop glorifying the past and question our current standing: where are we right now? Have we lived the pride our Founding Fathers had about a harmoniously prosperous people they dreamt of? If not, what went wrong and—more importantly—how could we fix them? These inquiries are very pivotal drivers for today’s young generation lest this nation seeks to move on from exalting the past and start being proud Indonesians. Deep down, I always believe that if we manage to unleash all of Indonesia’s potentials, this country will not only reemergence as the leader of the Third World: we can be one of world’s greatest state-actors both in economic and political sectors. The following paragraphs will explicate further upon the foundational strategy that is deemed essential to achieve such an ambitious notion—each of which covers both national and international aspect of the policy.
I. Open Government: Bureaucratic Reform as the Backbone of Change
Blame the game, never the players. I believe that
it is not impossible to change the behavior of individuals as long as
an effective system is in place. All the issues coming from Indonesia’s
bureaucrats, thenceforth, should also be dealt using this intelligent
postulation: that the rules and regulations need to be frequently
monitored and evaluated more than the countless problems
themselves. In other words, the leaders of this country should utilize a
helicopter view lest they wish to mend the republic holistically. So
before Indonesia continues with big ideas on international standing and
foreign policy recommendations, the issue of open government (i.e.
transparency and accountability) needs to be addressed immediately— both
as a domestic matter and a universal currency.
The story of Indonesia’s struggle in improving its
bureaucracy has begun long before the 1st Open Government Partnership
meeting was held in New York, 2011. But taking co-chairmanship with the
United Kingdom this year, Indonesia has made a global commitment to
enhance its checks and balances mechanism paralleled with national
endeavors to increase society’s participation in the process. The year
2011, 2012, and 2013 are stated by the official Secretariat (under the
President’s Delivery Unit of Development Monitoring and Oversight)
respectively as the ‘commencement phase’, ‘breakthrough and innovation
phase’ as well as the ‘expansion and intensification of public
participation phase’. The year 2014, therefore, is a critical period
that will determine the success of Open Government Indonesia’s four-
year national roadmap as well as its bargaining position
internationally.
If I were the next president of this republic, I will
firstly ensure the continuation of this initiative. Domestically, a more
open government will not only effectuate a better coordination as well
as decision- making process amongst the cabinet and ministries I lead,
but further it will also enhance the quality of public service units,
eradicate corruption, restore society’s trust in the government and, in
return, build stronger political participation. Internationally,
Indonesia will gain more respect because, despite being a developing
country, it dares to prove its consistency in promoting a more open
government that adjusts with the advance of technology and
innovation—which is still a difficult mission
for Third World countries.
for Third World countries.
II. The Archipelago Economy: (Agricultural) Growth for All
Having repaired the government’s home-performance through
bureaucratic reform, my next focus would go to our economic growth.
Above everything, we need to realize that Indonesia is one of a few
countries that are bestowed with rich natural resources. To list a few,
Indonesia is: 1) world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil, 2)
second-largest exporter of coal, 3) second-largest producer of cocoa and
tin with 4) fourth- and seventh- largest reserves of nickel and
bauxite. November 2012, however, marked a historical
wave in the course of Indonesia’s economic performance, when the
country’s top 1.500 leaders gathered in a visionary meeting to discuss
how Indonesia can boost its potentials even further. In this meeting, a
report on The Archipelago Economy: Unleashing Indonesia’s Potential was
presented and the findings were rather a shocking one: Indonesia was
predicted to surpass Germany and the United Kingdom as world’s 7th
largest economy by 2030.The analysis highlighted how it was pivotal to
safeguard stability while promoting diversification of economy in order
to invite more investors as one of the key factors in the country’s
overall development. A thorough and meticulous management is then
mandatory in order to deal with this once-in-a-century economic
transformation. As the leader of the country, I would ensure that all of
the participating parties in the national meeting to harmonize and
accustom their respective institutions to take part in this
astonishingly stimulating vision.
Among others, my priority would be set upon increasing the
country’s national productivity in agriculture and fisheries. One of my
most elementary reasons will be the apparent rise in the number of
middle-class consumers in the emerging markets such as India and China.
Domestically, the increased demand is predicted to take place
simultaneously with giant migration of countryside citizens to the
cities. According to the report, to meet domestic demand alone,
Indonesia’s farms will need to increase productivity by 60%—making it
imperative for the government to anticipate and ensure significant
improvements in agriculture and fisheries sector. All of these efforts
should aim at well-distributed growth throughout the archipelago,
accompanied by adequate skill-based
investment in our youngsters.
investment in our youngsters.
III. Take Big Jargons to the Extra Miles: Reestablishing Leadership In the Region
Traces of Soekarno’s brilliant discourse building such as
the dichotomy between NEFO (New Emerging Forces) and OLDEFO (Old
Established Forces) in the Cold War era seemed to have also inspired
today’s foreign policy. After Yudhoyono’s infamous line ‘a thousand
friends, zero enemy’, the MoFA continued the legacy by bringing up the
so-called ‘dynamic equilibrium’ to the table of our regional
negotiations. Last year, chairing ASEAN, Indonesia also introduced the
vision of ‘ASEAN community in a global community of nations’. These
three jargons should, I wholeheartedly believe, be utilized to further
empower Indonesia’s role in the global arena. Beyond this, Indonesia
needs to bring up the equivalently important discourse of sustainability
and human security as the main development agendas post-2015. Hundreds
of years of civilization have taught me one thing: that the power of words is often undermined—as long
as the country’s leaders commit to the discourses they initiated, it is
not impossible that the international community would once again pay
respect to our country’s determination and acknowledge our leadership in
regards.
After all, the year 2014 should not only become a year of
‘democratic festivities’ where millions of Indonesian citizens will
celebrate democracy by using their voting rights, but also a decisive
period that will determine whether or not this country can unleash its
predicted potentials. Having elaborated three of the most basic—not
necessarily huge, but profound—policies that need to be catered in
welcoming a greater development for the country, I would like to also
emphasize the important role of youth as the upcoming decision-makers,
entrepreneurs, as well as engineers of the country: the government needs
to invest more in capacity building programs and educative projects.
Shall these foundational aspects be successfully accomplished, I am more
than confident that the nation can finally move on from their
pseudo-pride of historical romanticism—and cherish the real thrill and
honor of being an Indonesian.
Footnotes:
[1] ‘About’, Open Government Partnership’s official website.
[2] Open Government Indonesia: Sebentang Titian Menuju Keterbukaan(Jakarta: Open Government Indonesia Secretariat, 2012)
[3] Masterplan: Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development 2011-2025, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs,
Republic of Indonesia, 2011.
[4] Raoul Oberman et. al, The Archipelago Economy: Unleashing Indonesia’s Potential (Jakarta: McKinsey Global Institute, September 2012)
[2] Open Government Indonesia: Sebentang Titian Menuju Keterbukaan(Jakarta: Open Government Indonesia Secretariat, 2012)
[3] Masterplan: Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development 2011-2025, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs,
Republic of Indonesia, 2011.
[4] Raoul Oberman et. al, The Archipelago Economy: Unleashing Indonesia’s Potential (Jakarta: McKinsey Global Institute, September 2012)