Anies Baswedan Vows Huge Investment in Culture, Like South Korea in 1980s

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential candidate number 1 Anies Baswedan pledged huge investment in the arts and cultural sector if he wins the 2024 presidential election. He made the vow in response to the national dangdut legend Rhoma Irama who expressed concern over the fate of Indonesian music and film artists.

“I call it investment. Why? Because expenses are often referred to as costs. Because they are costs, we try to keep them as low as possible, as efficient as possible. In investment, we talk about what will be produced,” Anies said at his Desak & Slepet AMIN event in Jakarta on Monday, January 29.

Rhoma Irama, the Indonesian Dangdut King, said he was worried that foreign cultures are becoming more popular, while national art resources are not yet able to generate foreign exchange.

Anies then cited the experience of South Korea in the 1980s to early 1990s, which seriously invested in artistic workers. This was evident in the massive construction of performance venues and the state's presence to support them.

The former governor of Jakarta also said that he had met with cultural figures in Bandung and shared plans to build world-class cultural performance centers in major cities across the archipelago. “And then to encourage arts development by building art schools in various regions. So that art schools are not just in certain cities,” he added.

Anies Baswedan stressed that these measures are necessary as creativity will determine the nation's success. “[We will] allocate a sufficient budget, spaces for artists to express themselves. Inshallah, this will increase their welfare, and we will help prepare social security for arts workers for their peace of mind.”

ANTARA

Editor's Choice: Top 8 Countries with Largest Nickel Reserves in the World

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News