"We now have to put ourselves in order and return to our identity as a big nation and country with strong work ethics, civility, and character," he said in his speech at the Ramadan Study event held by the East Java chapter of Islamic organization Muhammadiyah at Muhammadiyah University in Malang, East Java.
He stated that all good values such as good character, strong work ethics, and civility have already been possessed by Muhammadiyah. Therefore, I call on all Muhammadiyah ranks and file to invite people around them to return to their national and statehood ethics, as well as good community ethics, so that we can concentrate again to create positive things for the best interests of our lovable nation."
Jokowi admitted that in the past six to eight months, the countrys energy and minds as well as budget have been used up for things which were actually not significant.
"We have so far in the period insulted each other, cursed each other, and demonstrated against each other to use up our energy," he noted.
In 1977, Indonesia had a 60-kilometer long Jagorawi toll road. Because of this, many countries had visited our country. Indonesia has since then built 700-kilometer long toll roads. However, China which had come to Indonesia to learn, now has toll roads hundreds of thousands of kilometers long, he remarked.
Chinas income per capita has also soared, while Indonesia had been lagging behind even against Malaysia, which used to "learn" from Indonesia, with its income per capita thrice bigger than Indonesia. "This is something that we have to find out and settle," he pointed out.
Jokowi revealed that there are three issues that Indonesia had to settle. Firstly, it is religious vigor, he stated. Religions in Indonesia are given freedom and "use it for developing brotherhood and goodness," he explained.
Secondly, it is education to develop quality human resources for meeting tighter competition, he said. He asserted that education must be developed based on religious values, good mentality, and integrity, adding that it would be useless to have smart children who are not based on strong religious values.
Thirdly, it is fraternity or the spirit of brotherhood, he said. "The three issues must be settled for the sake of returning our identity as a big nation and country," he pointed out.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
