He urged everyone to be aware of the demographic bonus that Indonesia is expected to reach in 2045, or exactly 100 years of its independence.
"To avoid a national disaster in the next quarter century, I expect that the current young generation has been directed to be actively involved in national development," Basarah said in a statement released here on Friday.
According to him, the nature of national development is not only physical, but also mental and spiritual, and includes the obligation to uphold the state ideology that unites the nation.
Indonesia has entered the initial stage of the demographic bonus, as reflected by the number of people in the productive age group (15–64 years) becoming higher than those in the non-productive age group, he said.
"The peak of the demographic bonus is estimated to occur in 2030. Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), as of 2020, the population in the productive age group is 140 million people out of a total of 270.20 million people in Indonesia," he pointed out.
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Indonesia's population is predicted to reach 318.96 million in 2045, with 207.99 million people in the productive age group, he noted.
Moreover, the population in the unproductive age group is estimated to reach 110.97 million, consisting of 44.99 million people of unproductive age and 65.98 million people in the 0–14 age group.
"Based on these data, it can be predicted from now on that in 2045, it is estimated that 100 people of productive age will bear the burden of 54 people of unproductive age," Basarah pointed out.
He opined that if the younger generation is not prepared to become an agent of national development from now, the demographic bonus could become a national disaster when Indonesia celebrates its 100 years of independence.
Thus, he urged everyone to properly manage the demographic bonus that Indonesia is currently experiencing so that it becomes a blessing instead of a disaster.
"In the past, Indonesia's independence actually resulted from the great energy of the youth at that time; Bung Karno, Bung Hatta, and the martyrs of other nations were the youth of their time when the youth oath was proclaimed and when Indonesia's independence was proclaimed," he remarked.
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Translator: Imam B, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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