Vice Chair of MPR Says Young Generation Must Be Motor of Change

Jakarta (ANTARA) — Vice Chair of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, commonly known as Ibas, has stated that the youth generation must become a unifying force for the nation and an active, creative catalyst for social change.

He emphasised that differences in organisational backgrounds should not hinder youth unity. “We may have different organisations, different colours, and even different perspectives, but our goal remains singular — an Indonesia that is more advanced, secure, fair, democratic, and prosperous,” Ibas said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

According to him, Indonesia’s demographic dividend represents a tremendous opportunity that can only succeed if young people prepare themselves with strong character, good literacy, and a spirit of cross-organisational collaboration.

“Youth is both a blessing and a responsibility. We must not allow the demographic dividend to become a problem if young people are unprepared and lose direction,” he stated.

He also stressed the importance of wise technology use in the rapidly advancing digital era. Technology, he said, should serve as a means of enhancing personal capacity, not as a space for spreading negative information or social conflict.

He expressed the view that nations collapse not because of great external enemies, but because their youth lose direction. Ibas reaffirmed that character is the foundation for national continuity. “Use technology to learn, seek accurate information, and build positive ideas. Technological proficiency must be balanced with morality and ethics,” he said.

Additionally, he emphasised the importance of implementing Pancasila values in concrete action. According to him, Pancasila is not merely a slogan but something that must be put into practice.

To this end, he called upon all young people to make Ramadan a momentum for strengthening faith whilst maintaining national unity. “Religion provides light, nationality provides direction. United in vision, active in action, creative in solutions. We are not the generation of lethargy; we are the generation of change,” he concluded.