There Won't Be Golden Indonesia Unless...

By: Purwanto Setiadi - Freelance Journalist

Golden Indonesia as a term has been ubiquitous. Government officials as well as politicians put it in almost every speech they delivered in relation to the ambition of the country, especially in ceremonial events, so much so that it has become what every slogan ended up: a hollow catchword.

The plausible explanation of such cheapening, however, is not merely in the fact that the term is all over the place. It is, actually, also resting on the lack of government action concerning the climate crisis. This global crisis, which has the potential to cause a dire situation, even catastrophe, on the planet is forcing governments of every country to take the fight on seriously. Through international arrangements, such as the Paris Agreement, Indonesia has committed to take measures. So far, it’s just too little that has been taken, if any.

Golden Indonesia stems from an ideal which has long been shared as a national vision that in the future Indonesia will become an advanced nation. In such a vision Indonesia is seen to be undergoing a transition from an agricultural producing and raw commodity-based developing country into an advanced industrial, service and technology-based developed nation.

During the Suharto regime the trajectory of the country was believed to be moving in that direction, to follow four countries dubbed the Asian Tigers--Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. This was only the case prior to 1997.

In June that year the Asian financial crisis hit badly. This led to an unrest and, eventually, reformation movement that forced the fall of the regime in May 1998. For the remaining years in the 1990s what seemed matter was how to survive the ordeal, although the dream lingered on.

Subsequent to the turn of the 21st century Indonesia has managed to successfully come safely through the storm inflicted by the crisis. And the dream of an advanced country prevails. But it was not until President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivered his speech in Bali in June 2013 that its timeframe became “official”. Yudhoyono expressed his hope that by the centennial celebration of the Republic of Indonesia the nation would rise to become a developed country.

“I have a vision and a dream that in 2045 our economy will be truly strong and just, our democracy will mature, and our civilization will flourish,” Yudhoyono said.

The same vision was indicated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Yudhoyono’s successor, on December 30, 2015, in his notebook where he wrote seven dreams of lofty goals for Indonesian future. The Ministry of National Development Planning then worked on formulating it. When it was completed and officially launched by Jokowi on May 9, 2019, it was clear that the government set a target for Indonesia in 2045 to become the fifth largest economy in the world. The vision (it was reiterated in Jokowi’s speech in at least three other events, including on the occasion of the 78th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on August 16, 2023) was named The Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision.

There is a fundamental question that is worth thinking about faithfully, especially with regard to the “advanced country” envisioned. Unquestionably, it refers to countries currently acknowledged as advanced or developed--aside from the United States, Japan and South Korea, many of them are in the West. But we should also realize that, historically, their progress isn’t without tolls. Many of those countries are the greediest resource users per capita. And this has caused and is still causing trouble for the planet.

On that account, are we without a doubt aspiring to the same “achievement”? Or, more precise, are we really up to wreaking havoc in order to make the Golden Indonesia vision happen and claim a place among those countries?

It doesn’t have to be that way. This should remind us of what Gandhi had tried to warn of the dangers of other countries taking the same path of Western industrialism. He said, “The world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”

What the leader of the campaign for India’s independence saw in his mind’s eye about three-quarter of a century ago couldn’t be more true today. Our “must-have, must-buy”, or “take, make, use, dispose”, economy is eating into the planet’s resources like never before. We cannot keep living our lives in such manners.

Likewise, businesses will not sustain if it maintains “see no evil, hear no evil” practices. A new way, antithetical to the established one, is needed.

So as to thrive while making certain there is no more environmental destruction and resource injustices along the way, our economy has to take into account the restoration of natural environments and societies. Simultaneously, it is also required that it has what it takes to provide significant strategic advantages to businesses of all sizes through both cost savings and revenue generating opportunities for everyone involved.

We are, therefore, urged to turn the allegedly unchallenged economic practices on its head. We need, as asserted by entrepreneur-cum-environmentalist Paul Hawken, who has been advocating it since 1993, a restorative economy. Without the new practices rest assured that there will be no Golden Indonesia.

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