Minister Criticizes Youths Plagued with 'Quick Success' Dream

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, on Wednesday criticized the current youth generation he thinks are plagued with the mindset of quickly reaching success and are less eager to risk failures. 

“I apologize in advance, but if I may offer criticism, there seems to be a symptom among youths nowadays who tend to want to reach success quickly, they want to immediately be ‘someone’,” said Muhadjir in a virtual discussion on Wednesday, May 13, about human resources and economic rise. 

Moreover, during the discussion, Muhadjir asserted that no story exists about successful people who did not endure failures. He also encouraged young people to not easily quit. 

“This is about mental endurance. To not easily quit, which is formed from facing failure after failures,” said the former minister of education. 

During the virtual discussion that mainly focused on the Islamic economy, Muhadjir said that the problem of tradition also holds a significant role as the Islamic tradition and the world economy are slowly eroded which he argues is happening in Muhamadiyah. 

He recalled Muhammadiyah leaders came from traders, which is a tradition that has greatly reduced post-colonial age as the youths were prepared to be government employees. 

However, the minister appreciates the young generation that has initiated the rise of the Islamic economy but reminds that this spirit must be coupled with attempts to build a tradition. 

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI