Gerindra Legislator: State Should Not Ignore, Must Protect People in the Middle of Shocks

Member of the DPR from the Gerindra Party Faction, Azis Subekti, emphasized that the state should not ignore its people, but must maintain it in the midst of the current global situation.

"Today's world moves without mercy. Wars are prolonged, energy is soaring, supply chains are stalled, and in the midst of all this, the oldest question is knocking again: who does this power work for?" said Azis in his statement, Tuesday, April 7.

"Some countries choose to harden. Others surrender to the cold market. There, welfare becomes a number; humans slowly lose their faces. Indonesia is not outside the vortex. It is shaken. But it chooses one thing that is not simple: to stand up," he continued.

From the beginning, continued Azis, this direction has been written in our basic constitution, the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, from the opening to its articles, not as decoration, but as a promise. Namely, to advance the common welfare, and to realize social justice for all Indonesian people.

"That sentence rejects neutrality. He rejects indifference. He insists that the state must take sides when life becomes difficult. The articles make it clear: what is important for the livelihood of the masses must be under the control of the state; natural wealth for the prosperity of the people; the weak are not left alone. Here, policy should not be distant from humans. But promises are always tested by reality. And today's reality is harsh," he said.

"Countries are forced to choose: maintain stability or protect purchasing power. Both are important, but they cannot always go hand in hand. At this point, leadership is tested, on the courage to decide who to save first," he continued.

In the past year, said Azis, the Prabowo Subianto government sent a clear message, the people should not bear the burden at the earliest. Little Wong must still be able to smile.

This choice is seen in the policy of maintaining fuel prices. In the midst of global pressure, prices are held so that daily life does not collapse at once. Travel costs remain affordable, food prices do not jump wildly, small businesses do not immediately collapse.

"For many families, this is not a big policy. This is a way of survival. But protection always opens a gap. When domestic prices are lower than neighboring countries, there is an temptation to deviate. Smuggling is an undeniable shadow, subsidies that should strengthen the people are leaked into the hands of those who are looking for quick profits," he said.

The member of Commission II of the DPR emphasized that the state cannot turn a blind eye. Protection must be maintained so that it remains up to those who are entitled. That means working more quietly and more firmly: data-based distribution, real border surveillance, law enforcement without hesitation, and reforming the energy trade system that has left gaps.

"Because every liter that leaks is not just a loss, it is a failure of justice. From land, the test moves to the air. The increase in jet fuel prices is slowly pushing the cost of flights up, including the hajj trip. Here, the country is dealing with something more than the economy: hopes that have been saved for years," he said.

"For some people, Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When costs soar, what is delayed is not just a journey, but a long-cherished prayer. The state must not let that hope be broken," Azis added.

Even so, according to Azis, the state's steps must be measured, including holding back increases in the most sensitive sectors, forcing efficiency in the service chain, negotiating to reduce controllable costs, and opening up subsidy space so that the burden does not fall entirely on pilgrims.

"Prayer should not turn into an unapproachable distance. Often, the state's efforts to strengthen itself are misunderstood. When the state manages resources more firmly, enlarges the role of SOEs, or enters strategic sectors, it is accused of pursuing profits. In fact, the basic direction is different. The strength is not to accumulate, but to channel," he said.

"What is collected must return to subsidies, to public services, to social protection. If it stops spinning, it loses its meaning. That is where the state is tested: not on how much it has, but how far it is willing to channel. But this path is not free from risk. A state that is too strong can get away from the people. A state that is too weak will let its people be swallowed by mechanisms that are not always fair," he said.

So what is needed is not an extreme, but a balance that is constantly maintained:

strong enough to protect,

quite open to correction,

"Quite firm to regulate,

without losing sight of sharing.

"In the end, the welfare state is not measured by large numbers. It is felt in the things that are closest: when the cost of treatment is no longer a fear, when work does not feel fragile at all times, when someone can go on a pilgrimage with peace of mind and return home with dignity intact. There, the state is not being seen. But it is felt," he said.

Azis said, Indonesia is not finished, it is still going on, sometimes it is stuck, sometimes it is wrong. But as long as this one thing is maintained, the state must not be negligent, then the direction is still there. Emphasized Azis, welfare does not belong to a few, while power is not a goal, but a tool.

The economy is not just accumulation, but the distribution of expectations.

"And in a world that is getting harder, maybe the most important thing is not to be the strongest, but to remain faithful to a simple promise: not to let its people face life alone. Because in the end, a country that is worth defending

"Not the one who dominates the most, but the one who really keeps the little one smiling, without having to be defeated by circumstances first," he concluded.