Hasto delves into the philosophy of Bung Karno's Paediatricians Conference idea

PDI Perjuangan (PDIP) Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto has elaborated on the humanist and visionary aspects of Indonesia’s first president, Soekarno (Bung Karno), in laying the health foundations for the nation’s future generations through the idea of the Asian-African Paediatricians Conference. According to him, Bung Karno’s concept of nation-building always emphasised preparing a future generation that is healthy both physically and spiritually. “We think about the future through our children. Bung Karno was already thinking about how Indonesian children could be physically and spiritually healthy,” Hasto said during a public lecture entitled ‘Bung Karno’s Geopolitical Thought’, held in the context of the 27th Anniversary of Bung Karno University, at Ir. Soekarno Hall, UBK, Jakarta, on Thursday. Hasto, who is also a permanent lecturer at Bung Karno University (UBK) Jakarta, explained that the international forum was specifically conceived to discuss scientific methods and approaches for creating a healthy and intelligent young generation in the Asian and African regions. He explained that Bung Karno realised children’s intelligence is closely linked to the nutritional intake they receive from an early age. “Following up on the Asian-African Paediatricians Conference, so that Indonesian children would be intelligent, they must be supported by nutritious food,” said the politician from Yogyakarta. From this awareness of the importance of rich and healthy local nutrition, Bung Karno then initiated the birth of a magnum opus, a national culinary book named Mustika Rasa. Hasto explained that the book Mustika Rasa is not just an ordinary collection of recipes, but rather a strategic document of national food sovereignty. This book of over a thousand pages documents the culinary wealth of the archipelago from Sabang to Merauke, processed with highly efficacious local ingredients. “Then under his leadership, there came the Mustika Rasa book. It contains a secret of how Indonesia, with its extraordinary culinary wealth and seasonings that taste of paradise,” said Hasto. The book records various local food ingredients such as corn, petai, chilli, nuts, tempeh, and tofu. According to him, all the recipes within were designed to ensure that the Indonesian people, especially children, received highly nutritious food without needing to depend on foreign foodstuffs. Through the philosophy behind the Paediatricians Conference and the Mustika Rasa book, Bung Karno left a profound message about food sovereignty that must be guarded by future generations. Bung Karno, continued Hasto, firmly prohibited food dependence on other countries because it could weaken the nation’s political sovereignty. “Here Bung Karno said, the tongue and stomach of the Indonesian people must not be colonised by imported food,” Hasto asserted, quoting Bung Karno’s message. Also present on the occasion were DPR RI member from the PDIP faction Puti Guntur Soekarno, Romy Soekarno, Once Mekel, and Sofyan Tan, as well as Soekarno Education Foundation (YPS) representative Muhammad Marhaendra Putra and the UBK academic community.