Distinguished and respected ladies and gentlemen,
Those I deeply respect and admire: Mr. Taufik Ismail, our cultural figure and poet, whom I saw earlier on Google has now reached the age of 90. Incredible—an extraordinary achievement.
Mr. Yudi Latif, a very well-known writer with so many ideas.
Mr. Rahmat Pambudi, Minister and Head of Bappenas.

There are many ministers here, many vice ministers. I think I won’t mention everyone one by one, yes. I’ll just say: Mr. Minister, Mr. Vice Minister, and all distinguished senior officials. Thank you for being here tonight.

Many of my discussion partners are also present. There is Mrs. Willawati, Mrs. Evi Lusviana—my discussion partners on defense equipment. There are friends here who are experts in cooperatives and MSMEs, all of them. Welcome to this evening’s gathering.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I think I must first mention a condition that our nation is currently experiencing. For that reason, I would like to invite all of you to continue praying for our brothers and sisters who are currently affected by floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

We all certainly express our appreciation for the strong public participation and the high spirit of mutual cooperation, which demonstrates our social strength as a nation. And at the same time, we must also take this moment as a reminder that going forward, the management of natural resources must be carried out wisely and sustainably, so that it does not cause disasters for future generations.

Ladies and gentlemen whom we honor,

There are two notes as to why tonight—this night of collective reflection—is being held.

The first note comes from my personal habit. Every end of the year, I always calculate what I have done, what still needs to be continued, and what I am thinking about for the year ahead. And I write it down, as recommended—so they say—by some experts.

In addition, I also write down roughly what I will do in the coming year. And the beauty of writing it down is that usually we forget to carry it out, and only remember again when the following year is about to end. And forgetting, I think, is a human disease.

As stated in the hadith: Al-insānu maḥallul khaṭa’ wan nisyan—human beings are places of error and forgetfulness. So there’s no need to feel sinful about it. At least we have notes. That’s the advantage. We’re fortunate to have records of the past—some we are grateful for, others we regret.

And for the year 2025, I noted that together with Mr. Hashim Djojohadikusumo, dozens of experts, dozens of specialists, and young economists, we established what is called Prasasti Center for Policy Studies. At the same time, I also established BA Center, which focuses on advocacy for cooperatives and MSMEs.

Why were these established?

I was fortunate to serve as Head of the Expert Team for the TKN during the last campaign. I was also fortunate to be asked to become a member and chairman of the so-called Transformation of the Nation Team. Although there were only five of us—but the name was grand: Transformation of the Nation Team. Sounds impressive.

The task of formulating the Asta Cita at that time gave me many opportunities to access information.

And the information I obtained was that research in this country is very quiet—both in terms of budget and in terms of activity. Or perhaps there is no activity precisely because the budget is very small.

The Global Report on Think Tanks from the University of Pennsylvania states that the number of think tanks in the United States is 2,200. In China, managed by the Communist Party, there are more than 1,400. In India, there are 600 private think tanks conducting intensive research.
In Indonesia? There are 37. That’s it.

Because of that, we thought there are many expert friends who still have the spirit to conduct studies and research. We felt this was an opportunity that must be taken—to build these two think tank institutions.

We have plans for 2026. Our plan is to continue studies that are not yet complete. I will mention just two points, which I also discussed this morning with the Minister of Defense.

First, the importance of having a Law on the National Economic System, as mandated by Article 33 paragraph 5 of the 1945 Constitution. Paragraph 5 states that the implementation of paragraphs 1, 2, 3, and 4 must be regulated by law—and we do not have that law.

That is why I often say that Indonesia’s economic policy is a policy that is consistent in inconsistency. Throughout Indonesia’s 80-year journey, we have experienced this. We are consistent in inconsistency.

Going forward, we must be consistent. Consistent in the ideology we choose—an ideology that prospers all Indonesian people. That is why I consider the existence of a law on the economic system to be essential.

Second, we are currently studying—and this is still unfinished—how we fairly distribute the assets that we own.

Based on several calculations, the revenue from our mining sector and our land-use concessions currently covers only about 50% of our obligation to pay interest on our debt. So only half of our interest payments can be covered by palm oil and mining revenues.

Historical records show that during the Dutch colonial era, when the Dutch charged Dutch companies, they charged them 46%. We are only around 19%. Perhaps there is something here that we must rethink, so that every part of this nation is clearly accounted for.

Because we want growth to be driven by equity—growth through equity, not growth with equity. Through equitable distribution, we will grow, and stability will be achieved.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our collective record as a nation over the past year, in my view, is quite encouraging. Many steps and efforts have been undertaken by the government, state-owned enterprises, MSMEs, cooperatives, and society at large.

So much so that we can imagine, in five to ten years from now, we will see our young generation—our children and grandchildren—healthier, more agile, and smarter, thanks to the nutritional intake provided by the MBG program.

We can also imagine rural economies becoming more dynamic, productive, and prosperous thanks to the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives as part of the people’s economic ecosystem. Schools becoming healthier and more enjoyable places for students to learn. Students in people’s schools not only becoming healthier, but also developing life habits and ways of thinking that differ from their parents.

However, we all know that the road ahead is still very long and steep. Problems remain numerous—and they feel even more numerous when we compare ourselves to other countries. We have long been left behind by our neighbors.

Several figures show just how wide the distance is that we must cover.

For example, Indonesia’s Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) ranking in 2024 was 73 out of 134 countries. Singapore ranked 2nd, Malaysia 34th, Thailand 58th. Very far from our neighbors.

Our labor productivity in 2024 was USD 28,000 per worker. Compare that with Singapore at over USD 150,000, Malaysia at USD 55,000, and Thailand at USD 40,000. So Indonesian worker productivity is only 18% of Singapore’s and 50% of Malaysia’s.

I think this is a very strong signal for us. We must move faster and leap higher. And I think this is our problem. If you feel this is not a problem, then it is the country that is in trouble.

In terms of patents produced between 2000 and 2023—over 24 years—per one million population: Indonesia produced 84 patents. Malaysia produced 1,251. China 12,223. Singapore 22,442. South Korea produced 93,074 patents.

We produced 84. South Korea produced 93,074.

So for every one patent produced by Indonesia, Malaysia produces 15, Singapore produces 270, and South Korea produces more than 1,000.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I think this is not a gap. This is a civilizational chasm. We are living in different civilizations.

That is why I agree with Dr. Yudi Latif that we need to consider taking a major step to rebuild values, rebuild the soul, and rebuild the structure and systems of society. Our societal system today is suspected to be experiencing stagnation—or even regression.

We need to undertake a reconstruction of Indonesian civilization.

Let us now listen to the presentation on the reconstruction of Indonesian civilization, which will be delivered by our philosopher, Dr. Yudi Latif. And let us also listen to and enjoy poetry by our cultural figure and poet, Mr. Taufik Ismail.

I conclude my opening remarks here.

Billāhi taufīq wal hidāyah, wa huwa al-muwāfiq li aqwam al-ṭarīq.
Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.