Ibas: Youth Creativity Must Become an Economic Force
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Deputy Speaker of the MPR, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, also known as Ibas, stated that the creativity of the younger generation needs to be directed towards becoming an economic force capable of creating jobs and improving public welfare.
“Creativity is not merely about content; creativity is an economic force,” he said, according to a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
Indonesia possesses significant capital in the form of a young generation that is creative, innovative, and adaptive to technological developments. This potential must be directed towards becoming an economic force that creates employment and enhances societal prosperity.
According to him, the challenge for the youth is not a lack of ideas, but rather a hesitation to begin. Therefore, he encouraged the younger generation to be brave in transforming ideas into works that possess economic value.
He also urged young people to capitalise on opportunities arising from digital technological developments to establish businesses or new professions, without needing to wait for large capital or specific positions.
On the other side, Ibas stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents an opportunity that must be utilised, rather than a threat to be avoided.
“If we consider AI and digital technology as enemies, we certainly will not be able to move faster and more progressively,” he remarked.
Nevertheless, he reminded that the use of AI must be balanced with critical thinking skills so that technology serves as a tool to empower humans, rather than replacing the ability to learn and adapt.
Furthermore, he invited the younger generation not to be apathetic towards politics, as various policies related to education, employment, the digital economy, and the use of the state budget are determined through political processes.
He noted that youth participation is necessary to ensure that public policy becomes increasingly responsive to the needs of the community. He emphasised that economic growth must provide tangible benefits to the people.
“The measure of development success is not just how much economic growth is generated, but whether the people truly feel the benefits,” said Ibas.