Minister Iftitah Deploys Young Patriots as Problem Solvers in Transmigration Areas
Indonesia needs more young people who possess not only knowledge but also the ability to solve real problems within communities. Driven by that spirit, Minister of Transmigration M. Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara has assigned 1,476 participants of the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) to become problem solvers in 53 transmigration areas across Indonesia.
“Indonesia needs human resources who no longer wait for orders, but who are able to see problems, analyse them, and then deliver solutions. That is what we call the Discipline of Initiative,” said Iftitah when opening the 2026 Patriot Expedition Team briefing in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday, 25 July 2026.
According to him, the discipline of initiative is a character trait built from curiosity, the courage to take initiative, creativity, and the capacity to innovate. Such character is essential to producing excellent human resources as well as Indonesia’s future leaders.
“I want to emulate the German principle of discipline, namely the Discipline of Initiative. It is built from a high level of curiosity. Excellent human resources no longer wait for orders, but possess creative and innovative power,” he said.
Iftitah asserted that Indonesia’s development challenges cannot be answered by theory in lecture halls alone. For that reason, TEP participants will go directly into the field to identify problems, map potential, carry out scientific analysis, and formulate solutions that can be implemented together with local communities and regional governments.
“When you write a thesis by observing a single problem, that is knowledge. Knowledge must have methodology, systematics, analytics, and objectivity. It cannot be based merely on what is visible to the eye or on information alone,” he said.
According to Iftitah, the presence of the young Patriots in transmigration areas is also part of the state’s investment in distributing excellent human resources throughout Indonesia. “If you are not present in every corner of Indonesia, others will be. That is why the state facilitates your presence to see problems directly in the field. If there is no solution yet, that is fine. We will find one together,” he said.
He reminded the Patriots that they will face complex problems, some of which have persisted for decades. Therefore, they are not expected to resolve every issue in a short time, but are hoped to become part of a continuous chain of problem-solving.
“In transmigration areas, there are land disputes that have remained unresolved for 23 years. Do not expect everything to be settled in one or two days. What matters is that we keep going. Whoever the minister is, whoever the president is, transmigration development must continue,” he said.
For Iftitah, the success of development ultimately depends on the quality of the people carrying it out. He quoted a philosophy he has held since his military service: the man behind the gun.
“No matter how sophisticated the tools are, it is the people who determine the outcome. Everything must begin with good intentions.”
Iftitah said good intentions must be accompanied by a strong will to bring about change.
“Will is a strong determination. But the intention must be good. If the intention is good, a strong will will find its way,” he said.
On that occasion, Iftitah also encouraged the participants to document their experiences, ideas, and lessons learned during the expedition. This documentation is expected to be compiled into a book titled ‘The Philosophy and Thoughts of Patriots’, recording the thinking of the younger generation for Indonesia’s development.
The 2026 Patriot Expedition Team comprises 1,476 participants divided into 246 teams, who will serve in 53 transmigration areas. These comprise 41 National Priority Transmigration Areas, two priority areas of the Ministry of Transmigration, and 10 transmigration areas in Papua.
The Patriot Expedition Team programme is part of Transmigrasi Patriot, one of the flagship programmes under the Ministry of Transmigration’s 5T agenda. The programme is designed to bring knowledge face to face with real problems in the field, whilst positioning the younger generation as agents of change in transmigration areas.
Through the presence of the Patriots, the Ministry of Transmigration hopes that regional potential can be discovered and developed, community problems can be addressed through scientific solutions, and new innovations, policies, and economic activities can emerge that create jobs and improve welfare. From the transmigration areas, these young Patriots are expected to prove that knowledge does not stop at theory, but present itself as a real solution for Indonesia.