UGM economist Dr. Dumairy stated that it is still too early to subjectively assess the economic performance of the Red and White Cabinet, as not all of the current cabinet’s programs are new initiatives.
Some of the ongoing programs were inherited from the previous cabinet, the 2019-2024 Onward Indonesia Cabinet.
“It’s not easy (to implement inherited programs) because not all of them are Prabowo-Gibran’s initiatives,” he said during a discussion organized by UGM’s Center for People’s Economy Studies titled ‘Predictions for the Future of Economic and Political Democracy in the New Government’ at UGM’s Inter-University Center (PAU) Building, UGM Graduate School, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.
The 2025 economic development targets are expected to reduce extreme poverty. Unemployment rates are also targeted to decrease while the human capital index rises.
Dr. Dumairy believes that economic growth and equitable income distribution must accompany these development targets for them to be achieved.
“Economic development priorities must be paired with economic growth. However, the current situation shows that growth priorities are less constitutional,” Dr. Dumairy remarked.
He suggested that Indonesia’s economic development should emphasize nationalistic principles, with the government able to reorganize control over economic resources such as mining and land.
Additionally, downstream processing schemes can be made more inclusive so that the public can also benefit from the results.
“The people must reap the benefits,” he said.
UGM political sociologist Dr. Arie Sujito highlighted that the government has yet to seriously address the performance of Indonesia’s national health insurance BPJS Kesehatan.
Therefore, reform in the healthcare service system is needed to address inequities in claims and ensure more efficient management.
“There should be no injustice in the healthcare system,” he stressed.
Furthermore, Dr. Sujito pointed out that education’s high cost makes it difficult for the public to access it, while inadequate budget allocations only exacerbate the situation of human resource development in the country.
Universities, as educational institutions, should focus on improving the quality of education rather than engaging in projects that may lead to conflicts of interest, such as involvement in mining activities.
“Excessive democratization in education could lead to inter-campus competition over mining, creating traps in the future,” he said.
However, Dr. Sujito remains optimistic that this situation can be managed if society, particularly students, consolidates to push for change.
If people become complacent with the current conditions, economic transformation and political democracy will be difficult to achieve.
Conversely, a student movement with strong consolidation will drive democratic transformation, as seen when students protested to demand the cancellation of the 12% VAT.
“I believe students can be potential agents in supporting democratic transformation,” he concluded.
Author: Tiefany
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang
Photo: Freepik