Saudagar Forum at PSBM Makassar 2026, Andi Rukman: Major Opportunities for Business Collaboration

Makassar is once again becoming a hub for meetings of economy-based kinship networks. The 26th Saudagar Bugis Makassar (PSBM) meeting will be held in Makassar, bringing together thousands of business actors and power elites. Behind the greetings, this forum holds a major agenda of economic consolidation based on networks. The PSBM XXVI meeting, scheduled for 25–26 March 2026 at the Claro Hotel, is not merely an annual event but a strategic space that brings together business, social, and political interests on one stage. Around 1,500 merchants from various regions in Indonesia and abroad will attend. However, what makes this meeting different is not just the number of participants, but the composition of the actors involved. The presence of nine governors from South Sulawesi, along with ministers and deputy ministers, sends a strong signal that PSBM has surpassed its original function as a greetings forum. Deputy Chairman of the Investment and Employment Sector of BPP KKSS, Andi Rukman N. Karumpa, describes this forum as an economic consolidation that has been ongoing for nearly three decades. This statement indicates the transformation of PSBM from a cultural space into a strategic instrument in building economic power networks. On one hand, this forum opens up broader cross-sector collaboration opportunities. Business actors can interact directly with policymakers, accelerating access to investments and expanding business networks. On the other hand, the concentration of power within a relatively homogeneous network circle also leaves questions about inclusivity and the distribution of economic benefits. Nevertheless, strengthening the education and food sectors through exclusive networks has the potential to cause inequality if not balanced with more open public policies. Amid ongoing fluctuating national economic challenges, a community-based approach like this can become a solution—or rather emphasise economic fragmentation. PSBM also serves as a mirror of how relations between entrepreneurs and the government continue to transform. This forum shows the increasingly fluid closeness between the two, which on one side accelerates decision-making, but on the other side has the potential to blur the boundaries between public and private interests.