IO – Speaker of the House of Representatives (“DPR RI”), Puan Maharani, said that the future of Indonesia depends on the quality of its generation Z, its youth. “Generation Z is the generation that will change Indonesia. In the alphabet, “Z” is the last letter. On the contrary, I see generation Z as the starting point of Indonesia’s new journey as a nation,” she said in the opening of the 2020 Youth Parliament in Jakarta, Monday (02/11/2020).
The Youth Parliament is an annual event held by DPR RI to celebrate the International Democracy Day on 15 September. In 2020, it was held virtually on 2-6 November with the theme of “Cooperating in order to Mitigate the COVID-19 Pandemic: Optimistic, Yes We Can!” This year’s participants are 134 students from High Schools, Vocational Schools, Madrasah Aaliyahs, and schools of equal level in 80 Electoral Regions.
Puan notes that when Indonesia becomes 100 years in 2045, today’s 16-17 years old teens will be at their peak productive age of late 30’s to early 40’s. They will be leading the nation then. “Insha Allah, if Allah wills it, by 2045 perhaps some of the participants of Youth Parliament have become valid members of the DPR in their own right, have their own companies, become scientists, tech experts, or ministers. In other words, they will be taking the important decisions that direct Indonesia as our country reaches its first century,” she said. “Because you are an important generation for Indonesia’s future, I would like to express my hope that you will actively maintain our identity as Indonesians. One of the primary ways to achieve this is by protecting and implementing Pancasila in daily life, not just memorizing its concepts.”
Puan further states that in line with the theme for the Youth Parliament this year, Generation Z also has an important role to play amid all other Indonesian citizenry in the effort to mitigate Coronavirus infection in Indonesia. “We really need to cooperate in order to defeat this Coronavirus pandemic. We need to remind our friends, our parents, to really maintain the health protocol of washing hands with soap, wearing masks, and maintaining physical distance,” she said.
Puan further ensures that DPR RI listens to the voices of Generation Z willingly. “DPR as your House accepts all inputs, criticisms, and critiques, including from the young such as those who participated in the Youth Parliament today. As High School youngsters, I believe that you are a smart generation who can provide us with necessary inputs and criticisms in a courteous manner – that you do not use rude language, do not curse us, do not believe in hoaxes, and that you have checked the truth and correctness of any information that you obtained,” she said. (dan)