Jakarta, IO – The eldest son of the third president of Indonesia BJ Habibie, Ilham Akbar Habibie (61), decided to enter politics. His first step will be to run in the upcoming West Java regional election with the support of the NasDem Party.
One of Ilham’s goals is to help realize the Golden Indonesia vision. In his eyes, West Java, the most populous province in Indonesia, is one of the cornerstones toward achieving this.
“If Indonesia wants to become a developed nation, West Java must be prioritized,” said Ilham, per Detikcom, Friday (7/6).
“We must also grow our economy by 8 percent. And this can only be achieved if Indonesia is able to boost its industrial sector. If we look at examples from East and Southeast Asia, the countries that could escape the middle-income trap were those that embarked on massive industrialization.”
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As for his running mate, Ilham left it entirely to the nominating party’s decision. He only said that his prospective running mate must share the same vision.
“There also needs to be chemistry so we can work cohesively,” said Ilham. (un)