Thoughts on Joko Widodo's government and hopes for Prabowo

Indonesia has the potential to become a developed country by 2030-2045. This is based on reports from a number of global institutions, such as the World Bank (2020), McKisey & Company (2012), PricewaterhouseCoopers (2017) and Standard Chartered (2019). Indonesia has the potential to become a developed and prosperous country because it has two major capitals, namely abundant and diversified natural resources (SDA) and very important human resources (HR).

However, the reality is that until now, Indonesia has not yet become a developed and prosperous country. There are still many problems that prevent Indonesia from becoming a developed country. Poverty, ignorance and inequality at different levels remain problems that cannot be solved. We still have to fight for prosperity at all levels.

Young people must struggle to find better-paid jobs. It is still difficult to provide an educated workforce with high productivity, due to the weak link between the vision of the education sector and the labor market. According to BPS data (February 2024), out of the total Indonesian workforce of 149 million people. , there are 51.95 million people (36.5%) who have graduated from primary school or less.

Moreover, sectoral development strategies still require much attention. Since 2010, Indonesia has experienced a phenomenon of early deindustrialization. This condition refers to the declining contribution of the manufacturing sector to the economy. This decline in the role of manufacturing not only weakens job creation, but also hinders stronger and better economic growth. It is worth noting that the average economic growth in Indonesia over the period 2014-2024 is only 5% per year.

If translated into job creation, economic growth of this magnitude can only create about 1.5 to 2 million new jobs. In fact, every year there are at least 4 million high school, vocational and campus graduates. In other words, only half of the total graduates can be absorbed into the formal labor market. The rest must struggle in informal sectors with low wages and relatively minimal protection.

Of course, this condition cannot be ignored. Because if the informal sector grows, it will become increasingly difficult to create a new middle-class society. One of the characteristics of developed countries is the growing number of new middle classes. It is not the opposite, as is currently the case in Indonesia, which is seeing the number of the new middle class decrease.

Build a Foundation

The above provides a general overview of the Indonesian economy during a decade of Joko Widodo's government, which can be a reflection and note for the government. Prabowo Subianto in the next five years.

A number of positive notes should also be addressed to the government Jokowi in a decade of his administration (2014-2024). One of them is the massive development of infrastructure networks in various regions, starting from dams and irrigation, roads and bridges, toll roads, drinking water and sanitation, post borders and colonies, etc. Digital networks are also being built to support the digital economy, which constitutes one of the pillars of the economy of the future. This entire infrastructure network will provide an important basis for encouraging the growth of better economic competitiveness.

Apart from this, Joko Widodo's government is also trying to encourage economic competitiveness across the downstream, particularly in the mining and mining sectors. Although there are many critical notes to be given during its implementation on the ground, including the problem of environmental damage and ecological imbalance, the Joko Widodo government is also capable of handling the Covid pandemic quite well- 19. Recover from such a scary situation. Improve economic performance from navigation until economic growth can return to the 5% level.

Of course, Joko Widodo's government is not perfect. And this could be an important note for improvements within the government of Prabowo Subianto. Several critical notes of Joko Widodo's government, such as low formal job creation, dwindling middle class numbers, high debt burden and interest payments, low tax rate, weak of law enforcement and increasing environmental damage and ecological imbalance, where environmental variables have become an important variable in driving economic growth.

Bringing shared prosperity

The positive policies put in place by Joko Widodo's government must be continued, such as in terms of infrastructure. However, various policies that are not good need to be evaluated and corrected. President Prabowo Subianto was officially named president and a red and white cabinet was formed. Prabowo Subianto has a high goal, namely to pursue economic growth at the level of 8% per year, which can be achieved in the next 2-3 years.

Indonesia needs strong economic growth to escape the middle-class trap. In fact, according to various studies, the economic growth objective of 8% per year remains entirely reasonable to achieve. However, this requires strong leadership and a good strategy.

One thing President Prabowo Subianto wants to improve is improving the quality of human resources (HR). It is one of the main capitals held by developed countries. South Korea and Singapore are two countries that do not have abundant natural resources. However, thanks to their high-quality human resources, these two countries are capable of becoming developed and prosperous countries.

The work program to improve the quality of human resources includes providing nutritious food to schoolchildren and encouraging improvement in the quality of higher education. Of course, the effectiveness and efficiency of this program must be monitored and evaluated. Because there is often a fairly significant gap between plans and reality.

The downstream policy will be continued, not only in the mining and mining sectors, but must also be expanded, particularly in the agricultural and marine sectors. In addition, around 30 million Indonesians work in the agricultural sector and around 2.5 million as fishermen. Those working in this sector need assistance, support and empowerment to break the vicious cycle of chronic poverty and ignorance.

Economic development requires enormous costs. This is why eradicating corruption must be a priority. President Prabowo Subianto has good intentions to eradicate corruption. This was evident from his first speech at the inauguration of the MPR/DPR building.

Indonesia has no shortage of funds to develop its economy independently. However, due to massive budget leaks due to corruption, economic costs are often covered by debt and taxes, all of which are passed on to society. For example, state losses due to corruption in 2023, according to the findings of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), will reach IDR 56 trillion.

President Prabowo must therefore show firmness to put an end to this corruption. Strict enforcement of the law must be enforced. A clean and honest legal system must be presented. So that the cynicism of society does not become more chronic and say that the law is always harsh towards the bottom (society), but always brutal towards the top (the civil servants and their acolytes).

Hopefully, President Prabowo can create prosperity for all levels of society, not just certain groups (oligarchs) who have access to his power. So, if this shared prosperity can be realized, then President Prabowo Subianto will be able to deliver on the promises and ideas he wrote in his book. The Indonesian paradox and its solution (2022).

All of Indonesia's natural wealth must benefit all levels of society. Good job, President Prabowo Subianto and the Red and White cabinet. The challenge is not easy, because the global economic situation is changing very quickly and tends to grow slowly. However, by working hard and together, it is possible to overcome any difficult challenge. Work for the people, as President Prabowo Subianto always says. The public has high hopes and looks forward to the patriotic efforts of President Prabowo Subianto and the Red and White Cabinet to bring prosperity to all levels of society.