Campus Plays A Role In Research And Innovation, PDIP Party: A Big Sin If We Don't Develop Knowledge

JAKARTA - PDI Perjuangan Party reminds universities or campuses to play a role in implementing the green economy. They are required to be able to develop science and technology, conduct research and create innovations.

This was conveyed by the Secretary General of PDIP Hasto Kristiyanto when delivering his general lecture entitled The Role of Universities in the Development of a Green and Digital Economy Towards a Golden Indonesia 2025. This activity was carried out at the State University of Surabaya, Surabaya City, East Java, today, Friday, February 25.

"It's a big sin for campuses, for universities if we don't develop science and technology with an independent spirit," Hasto said as quoted from a written statement.

Hasto, who was present with the chairman of the PDIP Central Executive Board (DPP) Rokhmin Dahuri, who also gave the general lecture material, said that the campus must be able to become a city of intellectuals as stated by the First President of the Republic of Indonesia Soekarno.

According to him, like Bung Karno's mandate, campuses in Indonesia must be the center of civilization. Moreover, this idea has existed since 1953 in which the campus is expected to give birth to the supremacy of science and technology.

Even so, Soekarno's desire was undermined during the New Order era, when the government at that time easily gave natural resources to foreign parties.

"If Bung Karno carried out decolonization, the New Order era recolonized again. Our forests were cut down, our natural wealth was given away, whereas when Sukarno met Eisenhower, the President of the United States said, let the young Indonesians we send abroad will later develop Indonesia in independent ways," said Hasto.

"This is our duty. Bung Karno, Bung Hatta are students, leaders who are statesmen, figures who never give up. In fact, he only sleeps every day on average four to five hours per day. We can already enjoy that independence," he added.

Hasto said that what he said was based on facts, academic studies and did not talk about practical politics. So, in the future, he hopes that universities can be independent by playing a role in conducting research and innovation.

"What kind of research and innovation? Research and innovation that is useful for life, research and innovation that builds civilization, research and innovation that can be applied for the benefit of the people," he said.

Not only that, he also reminded the importance of campuses in conducting student leadership regeneration. Moreover, most of the leaders in the country are born from this level of education.

"National leaders are born from the world of campuses, so universities must become training centers for future leaders of the nation for the next 25 years," he said.

Complementing Hasto's statement, Rokhmin Dahuri said his party was indeed planning a visit to campuses in the country. The reason is that PDIP considers the ecosystem of a country's progress to start from universities.

"After Unesa, this weekend we plan to visit the Syiah Kuala Campus in Banda Aceh. It will also be continued with other campuses," he said.

Meanwhile, Unesa Chancellor Nurhasan said that the university's job is to prepare a golden and superior generation who will lead Indonesia when it is 100 years old.

"The golden generation that we have prepared must be a formidable and superior generation. It must excel but must be based on a strong ideological foundation because the challenges of nationalism are getting tougher. They were born in the era of information technology where the perspective of the nation is different from ours," he said.

Nurhasan also said that universities have a strategic role to save the golden generation from mistakes for misguided thoughts about their nation.

"Instrumental values based on the Pancasila ideology, such as integrity, work ethic and mutual cooperation, need to be deeply instilled and grounded in nationalism in every chest of these golden generations," he concluded.