"Good economic governance must ensure that the whole community is actively involved. So far, we have had the basis of the Pancasila economy with gotong royong as the foundation for distributing fair economic access for all citizens," Deputy for Social Welfare Improvement of the Ministry Nunung Nuryartono stated in Jakarta, Tuesday.
Nuryartono made the remarks at the Trisakti Revitalization Workshop titled "Self-reliance in the Economic Sector" that was monitored online in Jakarta, Tuesday.
He said that both the government and society must have the foundation and optimism that economic independence can be encouraged through the principle of gotong royong.
"Gotong royong strengthens economic resilience and social resilience. There is no region that would have strong social relations without gotong royong. Hence, we can run these two paths, economic and social, together, which in the end can create community welfare," he remarked.
Nuryartono explained that gotong royong is a national identity in all regions, which so far has been carried out in their own ways and terms.
He also said that gotong royong is a mutual help system for assisting people without distinguishing between upper and lower levels.
"Gotong royong is the process of mobilizing and allocating resources. With gotong royong, the resources and mobilization are carried out together," he remarked.
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He cited an example of gotong royong implemented by beneficiaries of the Family Hope Program (PKH) from the Ministry of Social Affairs, under which in some areas where people felt that they could afford it and no longer wanted to accept the PKH, then took the initiative to give it to relatives or neighbors, who needed it more.
"Our brothers and sisters, who have received PKH for 10 years, should be able to let go. We find that in several areas, they sincerely give it to friends or other relatives who need it," he noted.
He emphasized that without the principle of gotong royong, greed can emerge.
He also said gotong royong can be encouraged to support the progress of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as the backbone of the Indonesian economy.
"With the context of gotong royong, MSMEs can become an important part of the economy. MSMEs must be able to penetrate and how to involve local economic activities that can penetrate global activities," he remarked.
He affirmed that gotong royong is also included in the context of EIG, which is Work Ethic, Integrity, and Gotong Royong, as part of the mental revolution contained in Presidential Instruction Number 4 of 2022 that mandates the acceleration of eradicating extreme poverty to zero percent in 2024.
"With economic independence through the principle of gotong royong, it will be a big strength for the Indonesian economy because our goal is quality economic growth, and if the economy is strong, it will not falter when a crisis occurs," Nuryartono stated.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti Prameswari, Cindy Frishanti Octa
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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