DPD: Indonesia Needs Leaders of Character Amidst Globalisation

The Regional Representative Council (DPD) RI believes the challenge facing the Indonesian nation today lies in the effort to produce leaders of character, integrity, and who remain anchored to cultural values amidst the swift currents of globalisation and technological development. At the National Leadership Camp 2026 event at the University of Indonesia, Depok, West Java, on Saturday, DPD RI Deputy Speaker GKR Hemas reminded that Indonesia does not lack intelligent and accomplished young people. “One of the greatest challenges our nation faces today is not just economic issues, not just technological issues, but rather a question of identity,” said GKR Hemas. According to her, technological progress, artificial intelligence, and the openness of information have presented various new opportunities for the younger generation. However, behind this progress, she said, lies a major challenge that must be faced: safeguarding the nation’s identity and character so they are not eroded by increasingly strong global influences. GKR Hemas asserted that true leadership is not born solely from academic intelligence or technological mastery. Leadership, she continued, is shaped by values, character, and a worldview that forms the basis for a person’s decision-making and exercise of authority. “When we speak of leadership, we are essentially speaking about the cultural values that form the foundation of a leader’s actions,” she said. She assessed that various problems occurring in national life, including the abuse of authority and declining integrity in public spaces, show that progress in education and economic development does not necessarily run parallel with the strengthening of character. Therefore, she stated that national development must be accompanied by character building rooted in Indonesian cultural values. She stressed that Indonesia possesses a very strong cultural capital through the values of mutual cooperation (gotong royong), deliberation (musyawarah), tolerance (tepa selira), and respect for diversity. These values, she said, must become the foundation for building future leadership capable of answering the challenges of the times without losing the nation’s identity. On the other hand, GKR Hemas opined that Indonesia currently also needs a generation capable of combining intelligence with integrity, capability with compassion, and courage with wisdom in carrying out the mandate of leadership. She therefore hoped that after the event, the participants of the National Leadership Camp 2026 would become a generation ready to compete at the global level without abandoning their national identity. The senator from the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) also assessed that mastery of science and technology must go hand in hand with an understanding of the culture and character of the Indonesian nation. “My hopes are many; they should not only have physical and mental strength, but they must not leave behind the nation’s culture. The identity of the nation itself, the Indonesian nation, must be emphasised to our children,” GKR Hemas expressed. She added that the challenges the younger generation will face in the future will be increasingly large and complex, so progress and competitiveness must be built on a strong cultural foundation so that Indonesia has leaders capable of advancing the nation without losing its identity. It was mentioned that in facing global developments, young people, besides being encouraged to keep advancing with the times, must still firmly uphold their own culture. This is considered a strength as Indonesian human beings.