The founders of this Republic designed a nation that enables anyone with works and ideas to become a leader. The leader administers the government with integrity.
That island is only the size of a single dot on the map. Many people nickname the island “The Northern Guardian.” Unfortunately, for decades, that guardian has fallen further behind. Its residents could not access electricity throughout the day, struggled to access clean water, and ships only passed through once a week.
The name of that guardian is Sebira Island. It is located at the northern tip of Jakarta; geographically, it is even closer to Sumatra than to Sunda Kelapa Port. Many might consider it far away.
Its distance in kilometers from Monas is indeed far. However, we need to change that perspective of far and near. Every island in Indonesia is zero kilometers away from the Motherland.
Moving from the perspective that no one is second-rate, we fulfill basic rights on Sebira Island. Electricity services are present, clean water flows, food market access is available, and ships can pass through every day.
Mathematically, providing such services could be considered unprofitable. However, this Republic does not exist to sort between what is profitable and what is not. This Republic was not built on the logic of profit and loss. This Republic stands on a promise: to bring social justice to all the people of Indonesia. Without exception! It is not the time for the promise of social justice to be merely a historical document.
We want to manifest social justice through concrete ideas. These are ideas that can straighten the path for the future of this Republic.
We want to push for the strengthening of democracy through several main principles: carrying out the mandate of reform, providing legal equality, encouraging a critical civil society, and strengthening the foundation of electoral democracy.
Democracy and equality before the law
Democracy is a long road that we must continue to nurture. It is a mistake to view democracy as something that can simply grow and survive on its own (taken for granted). We choose the path of democracy not as a shortcut to development; we choose democracy as an effort to realize dignified human beings: people who are free to think, express opinions, and determine their actions.
The basis of democracy is trust. It is time to restore that trust!
Trust does not emerge from blind fanaticism. Like a soccer match, the referee must be fair, the rules of the game must be clear and apply equally to everyone, only then will trust emerge.
Trust will grow through the strengthening of democracy. We want to push for the strengthening of democracy through several main principles: carrying out the mandate of reform, providing legal equality, encouraging a critical civil society, and strengthening the foundation of electoral democracy.
The essence of democracy is providing equal space for all. It means providing legal certainty and a sense of security by guaranteeing the rights of citizens, especially safe spaces for women, children, people with disabilities, indigenous communities, and marginalized groups.
Healthy democracy and legal equality are what will drive equitable economic progress. Economic progress without a social justice perspective will feel hollow.
Economy for all
When talking about economic growth, what we see often stops at macro figures. Those figures are like a two-dimensional portrait: they show what is on the surface, but do not always describe the depth of the impact felt by citizens.
The principle we want to push is that economic growth must be of high quality. It is not just about looking at macro aspects; beyond that, the impact must reach everyone. The quality of that growth lies in its reach. The more equitable it is, the higher the quality of the growth.
So far, the discussion of the people’s economy has only stopped at a philosophical level. As a result, our perspective on inequality has not developed, merely supported by Social Safety Net programs. We need to change this perspective!
The matter of inequality must no longer be resolved simply through social safety nets, but must be resolved through economic instruments.
We need to design the economy to take into account those who are poor by accommodating them through equal opportunities within the economic system. We continue to strive to grow the small without shrinking the large.
The matter of inequality should no longer be solved merely through social safety nets, but instead through economic instruments. This viewpoint will ensure that the problem of inequality does not become a purely sectoral issue.
The problem of inequality needs to be integrated through economic instruments, such as monetary, credit, trade, taxation, investment, and social policies, to create an economy that provides welfare for all citizens, not just some citizens.
Such a concept is often known as a social market economy, which has recently become a new alternative. If examined more deeply, that concept is actually synonymous with the people’s economy that the founders of this Republic have echoed for a long time.
When those thoughts are translated into policy, applied concretely, and executed for the benefit of citizens, the results are powerful. This is what we felt when we realized that micro and small businesses dominate Jakarta, leading us to use various instruments to provide equal opportunities.
In the past, the gate to equality was tightly closed. Imagine when small business permits had to use an office address, not to mention capital loans of at least 50 million rupiah. For a long time, those regulations were considered normal. When we view those regulations through the eyes of a small entrepreneur, a massive bias of inequality becomes apparent.
We want equality to not stop at a philosophical level. Therefore, we push for micro and small business licenses (IUMK) to be relevant to the needs of small business activists. The IUMK is issued as an initial gateway of incentives for novice entrepreneurs.
We need to view this kind of licensing not just as an administrative requirement, but as a breakthrough for equality. The scale of loans, for example, was previously at an amount that burdened novice entrepreneurs, resulting in unequal access to capital.
We innovate to be more relevant to the needs of novice businesses: loans can be made starting from 5 million to 10 million rupiah. This is also supported by accelerated licensing services and the fact that home addresses can be recognized as business domiciles. These efforts are a manifestation of ensuring that inequality is not merely supported by social safety nets, but through instruments based on equality.
An equal economic ecosystem needs to be supported by a sustainable social ecosystem. The two must strengthen each other, not negate one another.
If the ultimate goal of Pancasila is considered, it is clear that justice for all is the primary objective.
A harmonious and prosperous society
If Pancasila’s ultimate goal is considered, it is clear that justice for all is the primary objective. From the beginning, the founders of this Republic fully realized the strength of a solid social ecosystem when organized upon a sense of justice.
The diversity of the Indonesian people is a gift from God, but encouraging a united and harmonious society is a collective effort. Harmony means realizing interactions that strengthen one another between citizens and state organizers.
The key lies in two aspects: collaboration and meritocracy! The perspective of collaboration and meritocracy believes in development as an opportunity for everyone to play a role.
State organizers need to be humble by not monopolizing the truth, but rather laying out a comfortable mat so that citizens can sit together and get involved.
The development approach can no longer just be about state organizers acting as administrators. That conventional approach must change by turning state organizers into collaborators and citizens into co-creators so that various collaborations can emerge. This is what we did in the Capital by carrying the concept of “Jakarta, City of Collaboration!”
The main requirement for collaborative government is good governance. Like it or not, the entire world is moving toward good governance. This is similar to when the whole world moved to abolish slavery.
One way to achieve good governance is through meritocracy. The founders of this Republic designed a nation that enables anyone with works and ideas to become a leader. Independence rolled back the concepts of aristocracy and monarchy, which is proof that Indonesia was born with the principle of meritocracy.
The diversity of the Indonesian people is a gift from God, but encouraging a united and harmonious society is a collective effort.
Today, a government that can practice meritocracy will send a firm message that its administration has integrity. We strive to conduct government with integrity: straightening the path, providing equality, and achieving equitable progress.
These ideas are written with the conviction that each of us has a big dream for the future of Indonesia. We invite every citizen of this Republic to collaborate in realizing these ideas. Bismillah, this collaboration can straighten the path to realize social justice for all the people of Indonesia!