The aspiration of independence constitutionally requires our shared responsibility to be actively involved in deeds, no matter how small they are, to help realize the founding fathers’ dream of prosperity for the nation.
By
SUKIDI
·4 minutes read
SALOMO TOBING
Sukidi
In his speech on 1 June 1945, Indonesia’s founding father Sukarno said: "There will be no poverty in a sovereign Indonesia." However, 77 years since independence, millions of people are still living in poverty.
According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the country was home to 26.16 million poor people in March 2022. The figure was much higher for people vulnerable to poverty. "Sixty-seven percent of Indonesia's population is vulnerable to poverty," then-research and technology minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said (Kompas, 24/10/2021). A large number of Indonesian people is still grappling with poverty.
Poverty is ubiquitous and its lingering presence overshadows every independence anniversary the nation celebrates. “While poverty persists, there is no true freedom,” Nelson Mandela said in 2005. True freedom, which Sukarno dreamed of as "a golden bridge" to eradicate poverty and realize prosperity for all, still remains elusive. Aspiration for just and equitable welfare for all citizens has yet to become a reality. Welfare belongs exclusively to the elite and the rich. Many people are deprived of it, as millions of citizens are still enduring the seemingly never-ending cycle of poverty.
Commitment to poverty eradication is what distinguishes a broad-minded from a narrow-minded leader. Narrow-minded leaders are passive and insensitive towards the situation. They are not moved to immediately free millions of people from the cycle of poverty.
In contrast, broad-minded leaders are sensitive towards the dire condition millions of people are in. They have a big heart to sincerely acknowledge the unfortunate condition and draw on all resources to work together to free the nation from the grip of poverty.
A leader with a big heart is always open-minded in learning about political leadership from figures recognized around the world, such as Nelson Mandela. He called for world powers to unite in a global campaign for collective action against poverty.
Addressing thousands of people at London's Trafalgar Square in 2005, Mandela stated emphatically: “In this new century, millions of people in the world’s poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is manmade and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.”
Mandela inspired the world to mount a massive campaign in a collective effort to overcome poverty.
Poverty is a public issue that should concern us all. A broad-minded leader should be able to unite the nation and mobilize all resources of the nation to liberate millions of Indonesian people from the "prison of poverty". Poverty has imprisoned people from accessing various opportunities that would elevate their lives to dignity.
The effort to liberate millions of people from poverty should become our collective responsibility and come from our conviction that we all have the potential to shoulder the challenge to help fulfill the aspiration of independence that the founders of this republic fought so hard for. In his speech in 1945, Sukarno stated: "In the economy, we must endeavor to bring equitability, meaning the best possible welfare for all.”
Prosperity and freedom from poverty were what the nation aspired to in its fight for sovereignty, but the aspiration has been neglected since Indonesia's independence 77 years ago. This aspiration of independence constitutionally requires our shared responsibility to be actively involved in deeds, no matter how small they are, to help realize the founding fathers’ dream of prosperity for the nation.
Being a gotong royong (mutual cooperation) state, as Indonesia was founded for all, and not for just one group, development must be pursued in the framework of national welfare that is just and equitable for all citizens. Our character of “being dependent on each other”, to borrow Bill Gates' term, or Sudhamek AWS' paradigm of “co-arising interdependency” (2020), means that not even a single citizen, let alone millions, is to be left behind, uncared for and overlooked.
We must grow, develop, and rise together as one nation in one homeland that is Indonesia.
