During a meeting with Singapore's Minister of Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, Indonesia's Minister of Population and Family Development Wihaji stated that the partnership stems from a shared commitment to the family sector.
"From our discussions, it turns out that there are many similarities; even though we have different population sizes, different state systems, and different cultures, and Singapore is more advanced, there are things that we can collaborate on, including research on family development," Wihaji remarked at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He also highlighted urban family development as a second area of cooperation, which will also involve other countries, particularly in Asia.
"Perhaps, the Philippines, which is also an Asian country and is still committed to family development. Singapore is also committed to this family development, proven by the existence of the Ministry of Family Development," he stated.
Additionally, Minister Wihaji outlined various other areas for cooperation that could be developed with the Singaporean government, such as enhancing service provider capacity, improving community nutrition quality, fostering social entrepreneurship among Indonesian youth, and exchanging good practices in urban governance.
Meanwhile, Minister Zulkifli emphasized the Singapore government's focus on preventive measures rather than curative ones, noting that the country's top three public expenditure areas are in social sectors: education, housing, and healthcare.
Regarding family issues, instead of waiting for them to come, the government goes to them directly through the family coach program as they are struggling or need help, he said.
Masagos elaborated that the family coach program has a proactive outreach to newly formed families to understand their challenges better.
Both nations will soon formalize their cooperation by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement the family development programs.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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