2015 : Time for public awakening Donny Syofyan  ;   A lecturer at the School of Cultural Sciences at Andalas University, Padang

JAKARTA POST,  10 Januari 2015

                                                                                                                       

Indonesians deserved the celebrations of the New Year following their success in the political transformation that installed Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as respectively president and vice president. In spite of public criticism, the triumphant succession of the new leadership paves the way for the “mental revolution”, as campaigned by Jokowi, in more practical ways in 2015. Such a revolution needs a public awakening, which should at least come from the creative economy and from the nation’s engagement in international relations. The creative economy is central to boosting self-reliance and public confidence. Defined as economic activities concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information, the creative economy could contribute to public awakening for it accentuates the power of cooperation and comparative advantage. Entrepreneurs in the towns of Bukittinggi in West Sumatra, Bandung in West Java and Yogyakarta — known as the entrepreneurial centers of the country — are mushrooming as they network for survival and increasing recognition. Their habit of studying consumers’ various behaviors and interests makes entrepreneurs regard consumers highly. The very nature of their endurance has more to do with an approach to winning the hearts of consumers. The ethnic diversity of Indonesia could be used for advantageously. Stereotypes include the Minang people who are known for their intellectual curiosity and entrepreneurship, Bugis and Makassar people who are known for their business skills, Javanese people who are known for their hard-working mentality and the Bataknese for their communicative skills and solidarity. How do we benefit from such cultural diversity and turn it into comparative advantage? Any economic activities closely linked to knowledge and information would be strongly rooted in local identity. This is particularly true, for instance, with the culinary business, art and tourism. Indonesia truly has global pride in these three sectors on a regular basis. With rendang, the West Sumatran beef dish, being the world’s most delicious food according to CNN and Raja Ampat Islands in Papua being the country’s new tourist destination among global travelers, local players are enjoying more opportunities to set world trends. Indonesian local wisdom could go international with worldwide promotion, delivery and service of the country’s products. Furthermore, the emergence of a public role needs to expand to the wider international community. With the coming of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, Indonesian players need to elevate their products and services to international standards with locally distinctive features. For instance Indonesia’s movie producers, directors and actors might learn how Britons are committed to promoting and instilling English literature to citizens of the world. Along with the constant publication of English literary canons, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) makes movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations, among others. Indonesia’s entertainment industry and mass media could pave the way for a cultural awakening, for instance, by exploring local mosaics. Instead of producing unrealistic soap operas in very long episodes, television stations and production houses would be better off adapting local literary works and folklore to movies, like West Java’s Sangkuriang. Patriotism would expand only if both government and private industries seriously heed local culture as opposed to exposing Jakarta and Java only. Indonesia’s entertainment industry would have selling points as it is bolstered by authentic local content. The year 2015 would be a golden moment of public awakening if the government encourages people to recognize their potential. Happy New Year!  ●