Sri Sultan HB X Please Government Expand Dialogue Space With Young Generation

Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X spoke during the National Dialogue for Peaceful Indonesia in Sasana Hinggil Dwi Century, South Square, Yogyakarta City (Doc. ANTARA)

YOGYAKARTA - Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X as Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) reminded officials to listen more to their citizens. One of them is by opening a space for dialogue with the younger generation as a means of exchanging aspirations.

"I just want to remind officials and so on that intergeneration can have consequences if different understandings are not further dialogued," said Sultan HB X during the National Dialogue for Peaceful Indonesia in Sasana Hinggil Dwi Century, South Square, Yogyakarta City, citing ANTARA on Sunday, October 26.

Sultan said that the different perspectives between the old and the young generation are natural because of different experiences and times.

However, according to him, officials or the elderly need to understand the mindset of the younger generation so that the policies taken do not cause gaps.

"My age is too much different from the young people that exist today. I try to learn to explore the desires of young people, not young people who follow my mindset," said the King of the Yogyakarta Palace.

According to him, without open dialogue, generation differences can cause misunderstandings that damage social togetherness.

"I hope that the old one wants to hear the young one, thank God he can adjust his mindset. If the young one is told to follow me, he can't, because he doesn't have experience like the experiences of older people," he said.

Sri Sultan also mentioned the experience of the past during the 1998 Reformation as an important lesson for the nation.

According to him, this incident should not have happened if at that time communication between the old and young generation was well established.

"Reforming events are only due to the gap problem of old and young mindsets, but they have never been communicated properly, so they don't connect," he said.

So that similar incidents do not repeat itself, he invites officials to be able to build equal communication so that differences of views actually strengthen democratic life, not cause tensions.

"Maybe in the policy there will be differences, the important thing is not to get stuck. Later if there is a demonstration, you will be surprised, right?" said Sri Sultan.