The great leaders must realize that development of the aspect of human quality is the best and most important investment choice for Greater Indonesia, for the prosperity, welfare and quality of life of its people.
By
SUKIDI
·4 minutes read
The hustle and bustle of the political safari for the 2024 General Election is not accompanied by the exchange of big ideas for the advancement of Greater Indonesia. In fact, the future of this Republic is currently at stake, not only triggered by global uncertainty, but also hampered by the small spirit of its own leaders, as Mohammad Hatta in Our Democracy (1960) worried. In order to become a great modern nation state, in accordance with the dream of its founders, Indonesia must be led by great leaders with big minds, for the greatness of the nation. The great leaders must inspire awareness about the future direction of the nation by telling the truth that we are and will be experiencing the most difficult times in national life.
Even in the midst of the most difficult situation, the great leaders appeared to the public to give full confidence to their people that this nation will be able to get out of the most difficult times if all elements of the nation are united and work together in building Indonesia. This is in accordance with the spirit that was sparked by the founder and proclaimer of the Republic of Indonesia, Sukarno, desa menbundeling van alle revolutionaire krachten in de natie (1963).
With a unified commitment and shared determination, the great leader stood at the forefront by presenting great ideas and thoughts to lead his nation to Greater Indonesia, the centenary of Golden Indonesia 2045. He articulated important ideas and profound thoughts, accompanied by sincerity and moral nobility, as a social contract with his people that the ideals of Greater Indonesia will be realized by maximum investment in the development of the quality of human resources.
Why did the great leader prefer to invest in human capital over physical capital for the advancement of Greater Indonesia?
The leadership philosophy of Mikul Duwur inspired the great leader to start a new political tradition by giving appreciation to the legacy of his predecessors who had invested heavily in physical capital, including roads, bridges, airports, ports, circuits, dams and other infrastructure, so that Indonesia could be able to overcome being left behind by the developed world and other countries in Southeast Asia.
Without denying the benefits of investing in physical capital, the great leader assured his people that maximum investment in physical capital without being accompanied by maximum investment in human capital could even weaken competition in the quality of human resources in order to prepare for the 2045 golden generation. In the Human Capital Index released by The World Bank in various years, the quality of Indonesia's human resources was left far behind by the world, even by other Southeast Asian countries.
This should be of deep concern for leaders, because their lack of policies regarding investing in the development of the quality of human resources has weakened the competitiveness of their citizens in Southeast Asia and the world. The world is also facing a situation which Jim Yong Kim described in the very influential magazine, Foreign Affairs (July/August 2018), as “the human capital gap”. Kim then recommended the government invest seriously in human capital because “the neglect of investment in human quality development can dramatically weaken the competitiveness of a country in a rapidly changing world, where the economy requires an ever-increasing number of [great] talents to sustain growth” (Kim, 2018: 92). The quality of human resources has even become the main determinant of the competitiveness of a nation's economic growth.
In this context, future great Indonesian leaders should prioritize maximum investment in the development of the quality of human resources. This aspect is very important and urgent to overcome the backwardness of this nation, but it is often ignored by leaders who do not realize its urgency.
In fact, "this aspect of human quality", according to the wise advice of TP Rachmat (2022); “will become the determinant and the differentiator for the advancement, welfare and greatness of the nation [of Indonesia]”. By prioritizing the quality of human resources as a determining and differentiating factor for the realization of the dream of Golden Indonesia in 2045, TP Rachmat invites all of us to take an active and constructive role in collective and consistent efforts to realize "a complete and comprehensive education, which is beyond the brain". This is the education model that is the entry point to improve the quality of Indonesia's human resources.
Finally, the great leaders must realize that development of the aspect of human quality is the best and most important investment choice for Greater Indonesia in the long term, for the prosperity, welfare and quality of life of its people.