Economist from UGM who is also Deputy Head of Presidential Staff Office, Denni Puspa Pusbasari, Ph.D., has asked students as future leaders to play a role in the public sector by giving their thoughts to the government in order that the government could issue a policy beneficial for all, even if the policy does not seem to make everyone happy.
“A leader has to dare to make a policy. Not all policy can make everbody happy, though,” said Denni in a talkshow in the Kertanegara room of Faculty of Economics and Business UGM on Tuesday (21/11).
To draft a public policy, said Denni, the President had to consider all aspects in terms of economy, politics, bureaucracy, regional autonomy, and global economic condition. “All has to be taken into account,” she said.
Prior to an economic decision being made by the Presiden, she said, an in-depth analysis was required. Her office does the research and study for this purpose. The office is tasked to give support for the President and Vice-President related to national priority programme, political communication, and strategic issue handling.
“The result of what we’re doing in economic area is to be submitted to the Presidents and Vice-President, while our recommendation would be up to the President to consider,” she said.
Denni mentioned there were 41 strategic issues being analysed by her team, including food, industry, stunting, and Vocational School.
The talkshow also invited experts from the Presidential Staff Office, who presented the outcome of studies and recommendation to the government. One of the experts, Panji Einanteya Ruky, delivered the mapping of national sugar distribution while Unggul Heriqbaldi, explained the revitalisation of Agricultural Vocational Schools through a cooperation with the Netherlands. Unggul mentioned there were over 13,000 schools in the country of which some 1,500 were agricultural schools.
“The problem facing the Vocational Schools is curriculum improvement, low interest, and standardisation that is in line with technology advancement, also collaboration with the industry,” he added. One of his recommendations was to do revitalisation of the school by naming two schools as pilot projet, which were SMKN 2 Subang and SMKN 5 Jember.