TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced the World Bank has officially announced Indonesia as an upper-middle income country, which requires the country to strive even harder for constant progress.

“In the World Bank’s report dated July 1, 2020, Indonesia's status rose from lower-middle income country to upper-middle income country,” said the President in his speech during a virtual event of the 100th Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Anniversary on Thursday night, July 2.

He said Indonesia's gross national income (GNI) per capita had jumped to US$4,050 from US$3,840, which is a progress the nation should be grateful for.

“We treat it as an opportunity to move forward and make a leap of progress so that we succeed in becoming a high-income country and manage to escape the middle-income trap,” he said.

Thus, the President appealed to all participants, the big family of ITB, to contribute to this development, particularly in creating human resources that will support the country’s progress in the future.

“[Generate] superior and reliable human resources, and develop innovations beneficial for society.”

The ITB is known as one of the nation's cradles of national figures, including two Indonesian Presidents, Ir. Soekarno and Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, as well as Juanda Kartawijaya and Iskandar Alisjahbana. Throughout its long history, the university, he added, has colored Indonesia’s journey.

“From this campus, the spirit of independence is echoed, the problems of the nation are resolved, and the progress of the nation is produced," Jokowi remarked.

Read: Indonesia Responds to World Bank Income Bracket Upgrade

EGI ADYATAMA