"By gathering great ideas to face global challenges, Indonesia acts as a middle power in Asia, similar to Germany in Europe," he noted.
Indonesia is the most important of the six other countries in Southeast Asia, which is a priority in establishing cooperative relations with Germany.
One of Indonesia`s positive values is the implementation of democratic elections.
"Indonesia is as good as Germany, especially in the implementation of elections," Grassi remarked, adding that Indonesia has always been viewed as one of the strong democracies in Southeast Asia.
He believes that technological developments, which have not gone hand-in-hand with equitable development in several parts of the country, could create inequalities between people living in villages and urban areas.
Limited access to social media will also have a negative impact on the spread of hoaxes that usually arise before the presidential election.
"People in rural areas also need a variety of information from the internet," he stated.
With the opening of internet access, villagers can become wiser in handling hoax. Moreover, from the economic perspective, they are expected to be able to develop internet-based economic activities.
"I think the people in Indonesia, either in the village or urban areas, can now become more mature and wise to face the times," Grassi affirmed.
Furthermore, he expressed hope that the public would be able to gain knowledge or truth about the actual information, so that hoax news can be muffled.
This especially holds significance with the enactment of the Village Law by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as a step that should be supported, considering the work area covered by the Government of Indonesia along with FES Indonesia in the field of village development.
"Internet network should be evenly available in the remote villages. We expect to make it easier for us and the village community to obtain broader information in a faster manner," he noted.
With the strengthening of cooperation in the social field, collaboration in future is expected to deepen, such as the economic partnership with Germany and China.
According to Grassi, just economic development can be initiated from development carried out from the village to the national level. He also lauded the industrial revolution as planned by President Jokowi.
Grassi believes that Indonesia is not only accepted in the global circle but can also take important steps and uphold rights in the face of global developments.
"Entering the industrial revolution means we must face the challenge of labor reduction that is accompanied by technological advancements, but we should also think about how to reinstate the workers back as the power houses of production," he explained.
Substituting human labor with robots will certainly reduce their use. Countries, such as Vietnam, China, and Indonesia, should evaluate ways to train unskilled workers to be ready to do good work and bring about revolutions.
"If we do not prepare ourselves for the industrial revolution, we will lose our jobs and opportunities," Grassi concluded.
The FES is the oldest political foundation in Germany, with a profound democratic tradition, dating back to its foundation in 1925. The foundation owes its formation and its mission to the political legacy of its namesake Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected German president.
Ebert, a social democrat from a humble crafts background ,who had risen to hold the highest political office in his country, in response to his own experience in political confrontation had proposed the establishment of a foundation to serve the objectives, including furthering political and social education of individuals from all walks of life in the spirit of democracy and pluralism, facilitating access to university education and research for gifted young people by providing scholarships, and contributing to international understanding and cooperation.
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Reported by Feru Lantara
Y013/INE
EDITED BY INE
(T.Y013/A/KR-BSR/F001) 19-07-2018 15:24:34
Reporter: .
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
