House Member Urges Universities to Base Research on Data-Driven Policy

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Hetifah Sjaifudian, Chair of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), has stated that university research in fields such as health, food security, and energy must serve as the foundation for data-based policy, rather than merely being an academic accomplishment. She made the remarks during the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Joint Session of the DPR and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) in Jakarta on Friday, responding to the fact that many essential products, including health items, are still imported. She argued that many societal welfare challenges can be addressed through research tailored to the community’s conditions.

In a separate occasion, DPR Commission XIII member Rieke Diah Pitaloka emphasised that evidence-based policy and accurate data help the government fulfil the four guidelines of the ‘Red and White Cabinet’ to achieve Indonesia’s prosperity. She stressed the importance of immediately passing the One Data Indonesia Bill so that accurate data can underpin development. The four cabinet guidelines, as outlined by President Prabowo Subianto in his speech, are: working to uphold the 1945 Constitution; safeguarding the nation’s core and vital national interests, including its wealth; overcoming the people’s hardships as quickly as possible; and orienting policy towards the interests of the people, their children, and grandchildren.

The Annual Session of the MPR and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD featured a speech by President Prabowo Subianto to deliver the performance report of state institutions and a state address in conjunction with the 81st Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia. The government also screened a video on its performance achievements. The annual state event carried the theme ‘A Sovereign, Just, and Prosperous Indonesia’.