Rizal Sukma: Hasanuddin University Has the Potential to Strengthen Indonesia Globally

Makassar (ANTARA) — Indonesian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Rizal Sukma (2016–2020), assessed that Hasanuddin University has great potential to take on a broader role, particularly in strengthening the East Indonesia perspective within national and global discourse. In Makassar on Wednesday, he stated that higher education institutions are no longer merely centers of learning but should also serve as spaces for producing ideas, policy innovation, and national solutions. In this context, he said Unhas possesses the backing of resources capable of meeting these challenges. “Universities have a very important academic strength in shaping policy direction and strengthening Indonesia’s position at the international level,” the Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said. “I see Unhas has the capacity and strong resources to be part of that strategic conversation,” Sukma added during his meeting with Unhas Rector Prof. Jamaluddin Jompa in Makassar. He further noted that higher education holds a pivotal position in building a knowledge ecosystem that can deliver real policy impacts. According to him, synergy between universities and strategic research institutions is needed amid the increasingly dynamic geopolitical shifts in the world. Meanwhile, Unhas Rector Prof. Jamaluddin Jompa said the meeting was an important moment to strengthen institutional ties and open space for broader collaboration in the future. Unhas and CSIS are currently exploring cooperation in strengthening strategic studies, academic diplomacy, human resource development, and the contribution of higher education to global issues.