Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs: Students Must Think Holistically and Not Be Afraid to Defend the Nation
Published At
20 February 2019
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MEDAN – USU PUBLIC RELATIONS: Technological advances have affected all aspects of human life. Therefore, human mentality and character must also change. One strategy in developing Human Resources (HR) in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 Era is to increase capacity and competitiveness.
This was emphasized by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, General TNI (ret.) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan in a Public Lecture he delivered. The presentation entitled “National Insight Towards Food Sovereignty, Maritime and National Competitiveness in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 Era” was held at the Auditorium of the University of North Sumatra, on Monday (18/2) afternoon.
Also present in the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs entourage were the former Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare of Indonesia in the United Indonesia Cabinet, Alwi Shihab, Dr. TGH Muhammad Zainul Majdi, Lc, MA, who is familiarly called Tuan Guru Bajang, politician Ruhut Sitompul, SH., and several other figures. USU Chancellor Prof. Dr. Runtung Sitepu, SH, M Hum, welcomed the group accompanied by the Vice Chancellors, Expert Staff of the Chancellor, and the ranks of faculty leaders and work units at USU.
“You will see in the future, how technology will increasingly dominate our lives. So we must make changes and adapt to an era that demands speed. We must be diligent in increasing our knowledge. Because knowledge that is not updated will experience degradation. Eliminate the mentality of bribery and being unsteady. Because it will no longer be used,” said Luhut in his presentation session.
He appealed to the thousands of students who filled the USU Auditorium building, to speak with data. “Get used to living without lies and producing all forms of hoaxes. To be successful, there are only three keys, namely being willing to listen, willing to learn, and being healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. Before you decide something in your life, ask your conscience properly,” said Luhut.
He further reminded us that the Industrial Revolution 4.0 brought rapid change. “There is almost no room for privacy in this technological era. People are easy to detect. We can see how China diligently conducts research and innovation so that much progress can be achieved. That should motivate us all to do the same and prove that our country is a great country that should not be underestimated,” he added.
The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia motivated USU students to answer challenges and belittling views from foreign nations by showing how many advantages we have. According to Luhut, we have long been a nation that is not brave and too good with Western countries.
“We don’t need to be afraid to defend the interests of the nation and state. In military education, one thing is always emphasized, ‘The best defense is to attack.’ So prepare yourself to get to know the many riches that our country has and be proud of it all. Prepare yourself well, so that we can no longer be underestimated. Your students are the ones who will determine the future of the nation. Most importantly, you must be able to think holistically, so that you cannot be controlled,” explained Luhut.
He added that the main task of students is to study and focus on completing their education on time, and to prepare themselves well. Because after graduating, there will be many challenges to face to make Indonesia better.
“Don’t just want to have fun fighting like now. If you want to have a good career, you have to start now. If not, then in the future you will only be a complement to the sufferer. To become “somebody”, we have to study and work hard. Robotic technology continues to advance and it is not an easy challenge. Even though productivity increases, jobs will be increasingly scarce. Currently, people are looking for the best of the best. So try hard,” said Luhut, giving motivation.
Indonesia, continued Luhut, needs several steps and innovations to realize a better Industrial Revolution 4.0. Namely the development of human resources, infrastructure development, bureaucratic reform and licensing, and industrial development to increase added value.
On that occasion, Luhut also presented several data related to the country’s financial condition. He said that Indonesia currently has a debt of 1.1 trillion US dollars. Indonesia’s private and corporate debts are only 40.4 and 32.4 percent compared to other Asian countries. According to him, the data dismisses the talk in the community that Indonesia’s debt is very large. The improvement of infrastructure and bureaucratic leaps carried out by the Indonesian government are also often praised by other countries.
