Presidential aide urges creative-economy collaboration with President’s programmes
Tasikmalaya (ANTARA) – Tiar Nabila Karbala, the President’s Special Staff for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Digital Technology, said she was continuing to encourage collaboration between creative-economy activities and programmes launched by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, so they could gain wider recognition and benefit the public.
“The creative economy plays a very important role in accelerating efforts to make programmes better known and to increase participation,” Tiar said on Sunday while attending a joint Creative Economy Week and Free Health Check-up (CKG) event marking the 25th anniversary of Tasikmalaya city in West Java.
She welcomed the collaboration between the creative-economy sector, MSMEs and the CKG programme, saying it could help introduce the government’s priority programmes to the public while increasing participation.
She said a similar model could be adopted in other cities, provided local governments were open to working together and shared a commitment to serving the public.
“This is collaborative work, as long as the local government is open and shares the same spirit and determination to strive together,” she said.
As a native of Tasikmalaya, Tiar also praised the use of local creative identity at the event. The city’s mascots, Titi and Tata, were among the distinctive elements that caught the public’s attention.
Tiar said the event had also boosted economic activity around the venue. The crowds created opportunities for MSME operators to showcase their products and increase sales.
“So this makes a difference for the community, and once again, we are doing this for the common good, especially for the good of the public,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Creative Economy Irene Umar, who attended the event in Tasikmalaya, praised the city government’s collaboration with various parties to organise an activity involving the public.
Irene said strengthening local identity could help distinguish Tasikmalaya’s MSME products amid competition from goods produced in other regions. She stressed the importance of continuity so that collaboration between central and regional governments and creative-economy players would not stop at ceremonial events.
“We do not want something that is merely ceremonial, happens once and then stops. We want it to be sustainable, including collaboration between the central and regional governments and exchanges of talent,” she said.
According to Irene, creative-economy players can help MSMEs develop products by making use of local identity, giving Tasikmalaya’s distinctive products a stronger point of difference.
She also praised the city’s creative-economy community, Gekraf Tasikmalaya, for quickly recognising the opportunity to incorporate local identity into MSME products.
The Creative Economy Week in Tasikmalaya included CKG services such as eye, mouth and dental examinations, as well as screening for cancer risk.
Irene and Tiar, accompanied by Tasikmalaya Mayor Viman Alfarizi, toured several stands at the event, featuring MSME products, food, local handicrafts and free health-check services.