Post-Election: Young Analyst from Papua, Steve Mara Encourages Society to Reunite and Strengthen the Unity of the Indonesian Nation

Following the general elections for President and Vice President, the selection of legislative members at the national (DPR RI), provincial (DPRP), and district/city (DPRD) levels, as well as the election of regional representatives (DPD RI), Young Analyst from Papua, Steve Mara, urges all Indonesian citizens to reforge the bonds of brotherhood to enhance the unity and integrity of the Indonesian nation.

Steve Mara expressed that observing the real opportunities and threats currently faced by Indonesia, such as the opening of opportunities for Indonesian actors to compete in the global market to boost the economy and the opening of domestic investment space that can be utilized by foreign companies to profit. As well as other threats from cyber security, integration threats from within and outside the country, proxy war threats, threats in Indonesia’s border regions, I believe we do not need to engage in conflicts; instead, we must prepare Indonesia to face every opportunity and challenge that lies ahead of us.

Our leaders and representatives in parliament, whether they are our chosen ones or not but elected to enter parliament, should be supported by us by providing constructive suggestions and inputs for the progress and prosperity of the Indonesian nation.

I see several fundamental issues that need to be addressed by the elected leaders and monitored by our new parliament, namely education, health, economy, defense, and security. Education is crucial to be considered; if the education of the nation’s children is well attended to, it will create good opportunities for Indonesia in the next 20-40 years.

Education streamlining needs to be done, meaning education should be tailored to the needs of the country or divided into regional needs. There should already be a national census of various educated personnel to measure Indonesia’s strength. For example, we need to know how many engineers we have, or how many elementary school teachers, junior high school teachers, high school teachers, or specific specifications such as how many Chemistry teachers with special abilities, or how many teachers we have who can foster national insight for the next generation. With that data, we can measure Indonesia’s capabilities in the future.

Furthermore, the issue of public health in Indonesia must also be the primary focus. We cannot only create many intelligent people but also healthy individuals. Health development for future generations can start from within the womb, so we can monitor the developmental patterns every year with the potential, interests, and talents of every Indonesian citizen.

Additionally, the economic development of small communities through government support for SMEs is crucial. The country will be strong if the economy of the people is also robust.

Another equally important aspect is our defense and security capabilities. In the defense system, there is something called the deterrent effect, or the effect that will arise against our opponents or enemies if our defense strength is strong. Sodefense and security issues must also be Indonesia’s focus in the future so that Indonesia becomes stronger and respected by other nations.

What President Joko Widodo is doing now is good because the substantive approach has been carried out, namely an approach done through dialogue with the community, giving what the community needs. For example, the construction of markets, airports, distribution of free land certificates, direct cash assistance, smart Indonesian cards, establishment of youth activity development centers, government building construction, sports facilities, transnational road construction, and food streamlining.

Our hope is that the next President and Vice President can continue all of these programs and also increase supervision over the use of funds that have been used in each region in Indonesia. This is important to prevent the formation of large gaps between communities. Therefore, supervision of budget use must be stricter, and if there are indications of corruption, it should be immediately handed over to the authorities.

Furthermore, as young generations, I also want to convey to all young generations of Indonesia that our time to prepare Indonesia for 2045 golden era is not much, only 21 years left, so we must study diligently and train our abilities. With that, when Indonesia reaches its golden era in 2045, we will play a crucial role in directing where this Nusantara Ship will sail next.