Luhut B. Pandjaitan Encourages Indonesian TikTok Content Creators to Take Pride in Their Country

INTI- Jakarta,The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut B. Pandjaitan, urged Indonesian TikTok content creators to have a stronger sense of pride for their country. He made this statement during the TikTok Southeast Asia Impact Forum held in Jakarta on June 15, 2023.

"You, the young generation of Indonesia, need to take pride in this nation. We do face challenges here and there, but under the leadership of President Joko Widodo, Indonesia has progressed well in the past eight years," he addressed the TikTok content creators during the event.

Luhut highlighted Indonesia's economic resilience, which has proven to be one of the strongest among G20 member countries amid the current global economic slowdown.

"Over the past 36 months, our exports have consistently exceeded imports, and we are on track to achieve the status of an advanced country by 2035. This is Indonesia, and you, the young generation of Indonesia, need to be aware of our current situation. Indonesia's digital economic growth reached $77 billion US dollars in 2022. This is not a small country," Menko Luhut joked.

During the event, Luhut presented the five pillars through which Indonesia has achieved economic resilience: industrialization, digitalization, interconnection, economic distribution, and decarbonization. He also informed TikTok's CEO that Indonesia prioritizes digitalization to enhance efficiency.

"Digitalization makes our government more transparent; that is its purpose. By digitizing processes, we minimize the possibility of corruption, which will ultimately lead to a better generation than the one before you," he expressed.

Luhut then outlined several digitalization programs developed by the government, including e-catalog, which ensures more efficient and transparent government expenditure, Simbara, which enhances mining data quality, Simirah, which improves the efficiency of cooking oil distribution, the National Logistic Ecosystem (NLE), which enhances port efficiency and connectivity, and OSS (One-Stop Service) as an effort to expedite the investment process.

During the event, Luhut also emphasized Indonesia's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by accelerating decarbonization. He mentioned that he has been in discussions with friendly countries such as the United States and European nations, urging them not to dictate Indonesia's environmental policies and instead focus on their own countries. His statement was met with enthusiastic applause from the content creators present.

"Sometimes, we fail to recognize the potential that Indonesia possesses. This nation is 'mighty,' but sometimes, it is you who underestimate your own country. You, the young generation of Indonesia, must understand the immense wealth our country holds. It is a vast nation that cannot be manipulated by anyone," Menko Luhut asserted. He assured that the government would not enact regulations that would disadvantage the future generations of Indonesia.

"Indonesia welcomes TikTok's investment in our country. Please do business in Indonesia, but refrain from engaging in politics," concluded Menko Luhut, which prompted laughter from the participants of the TikTok Southeast Asia Impact Forum.

During the event, TikTok's CEO, Shou Chew, announced that the video-sharing platform would contribute to the development of Indonesian micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM) through programs that include digital skills training projects in Indonesia.

In an interaction with the media, Menko Luhut expressed his hope that TikTok content creators would refrain from using the platform for identity-based political content that fuels conflict.

"Enjoy TikTok, but use it responsibly. Avoid unnecessary controversies. Politics on TikTok is acceptable, as long as it promotes learning and understanding," Menko Luhut advised the media representatives. ***.Hans