Indonesia's goal of an advanced economy and prosperous society can be realized if the business world is also advanced and sustainable. This can be achieved with efforts that can be realized in various ways by deregulating rules & bureaucracy, as well as legal & regulatory compliance. Of course, the most important thing is the close collaboration of all stakeholders, starting from the business world, government, intellectuals, and mass media.

This became the common thread in the SUAR media launch event in the Urban Forest by Plataran Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (21/8/2025). Present to give opening remarks were Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Deputy Chairman of Commission XI of the House of Representatives Hanif Dhakiri, Minister of National Development Planning / Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) 2019-2024 Suharso Monoarfa.

Also present to give remarks were Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Vice President Director of PT Triputra Agro Persada Tbk Budiarto Abadi, and Chairman of the Press Council Komaruddin Hidayat. Also present were Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo, Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Regency Governments (Apkasi) Bursah Zarnubi, senior economist Hendri Saparini, and scholar and national thinker Yudi Latif.

Also present as special guests were former ministers, seasoned businessmen, company executives, chief editors, and academics.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the business world has a central role in maintaining the direction of the Indonesian economy amid global turmoil. He emphasized that without a strong voice from business actors, national productivity could easily be eroded by uncertainty.

"The business world often loses its voice when the direction of the economy changes so quickly and is difficult to predict," he said at the SUAR media launch event, Thursday (21/8/2025).

Airlangga emphasized that the direction of Indonesia's economic development still shows optimism. He said that economic growth of 5.12% in the past year had succeeded in creating new jobs for around 1.4 million people.

Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Shinta Kamdani said that economic growth is not only assessed based on numbers, but also the confidence of the business world.

The role of the business world in economic growth includes three things. Namely, the business world as an engine of collaboration, engine of transformation, and engine of trust.

As anengine of collaboration, the business world can be invited to cooperate with the government such as the development of national strategic projects. As for the role of the engine of transformation, the business world can diversify markets to boost exports, there are still many markets that have not been explored such as the African continent. In addition, the business world must also renew export commodities, not just sticking to the same commodities.

And finally, as an engine of trust, the business world can be a partner to provide solutions for the government.

"The business world is ready to move forward with the government to encourage quality economic growth," he said.

Policital will and regulatory support

Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo emphasized the contribution of the business world to the progress of a country. His diplomatic post serves as a valuable example.

"From a country without resources with a per capita income of US$ 300 in 1965, the reliable business world made Singapore the country with the highest per capita income in the world, reaching US$ 100,000," said Suryopratomo in his speech, Thursday (21/8/2025).

This contribution, according to him, only works because of the role of the government, which places and gives high appreciation to the business world. He illustrated, if a business association holds an activity, the minister or prime minister almost always takes the time to attend as a form of support for the business world.

"Their presence gives a message, 'Tell us what we need to do to make you bigger. The bigger your business, the bigger our revenue," says Tommy, Suryopratomo's nickname.

Despite this closeness and strong support, the government sets clear rules and guarantees the integrity of officials who will only be elected if they can prove their competence. "With clear rules like that, when there is a bribery case, the government already knows who to pursue," he said.

Senior economist and founder of the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia, Hendri Saparini, emphasized that politics should not only be interpreted narrowly in the sense of stability that ensures the business world operates stably, but as a policy to take care of society as a whole.

"Right now, what is certain is uncertainty. For example, if we talk about agriculture, as the President emphasized, then we must know who is doing the production and whether we will do downstreaming like the mining sector, or do we have other policy concepts that encourage inclusiveness?" Hendri said in his speech.

The necessity to view politics broadly is also what he thinks will provide a clear direction in the midst of uncertainty. He gave an example, instead of being burdened by Trump's tariff policy, Indonesian businesses can see Indonesia's non-tariffs measure policy as an opportunity to expand markets outside the United States.

"From there we will look further at what our fiscal policy is like, how the government spends the state budget, and reflect on the impact on the business world," he added.

Collaboration of all parties

Deputy Chairman of Commission XI of the House of Representatives Hanif Dhakiri emphasized the importance of collaboration between the government, the House of Representatives, the business world, academics, and civil society to realize better and higher quality economic growth.
According to him, although macro data shows positive developments, challenges on the ground, especially related to employment, should still be a major concern.

"Economic growth is also measured based on job creation. If it's difficult for people to find a job, it must be considered unsuccessful," he said.

He also highlighted that investing in Indonesia is still high-cost and this needs to be improved so that investment can contribute more to economic growth.

As a member of the House of Representatives, he emphasized that he will oversee and ensure the government's targets and create regulations to facilitate business activities.

"Every rupiah that comes out of the state budget must really be able to create productivity, employment, and maintain people's purchasing power," he concluded.

Chairman of the Association of All Indonesian District Governments (APKASI) Bursah Zarnubi explained that the role of district governments is crucial in the Indonesian economy. "60% of our national strength is in the districts," he said, underlining the significant contribution of the regions.

He supports the role of the media to provide information about the potential and strategies of district governments in improving the economy of communities throughout Indonesia.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of strengthening human resources through quality education as the foundation of economic progress.

"The foundation of building Indonesia is first through human resources who are physically and mentally healthy, as well as mastering science and technology," he explained.

Vice President Director of PT Triputra Agro Persada Group, Budiarto Abadi, emphasized the important role of the media in maintaining interaction between the public and the government. He described the media as a two-way bridge that connects public interests with policymakers. "If we wrap everything up, it becomes like an interactive public communication ecosystem," he said.

According to him, the government as a policy maker needs to build optimism and certainty for the business world to move forward. However, he assesses that the practice is the opposite.

"The business world is often faced with fear and doubt," he said. Meanwhile, the government, which needs public support, faces challenges in the form of miscommunication.

This happened because of the major changes that social media brought to the flow of information. Previously, conventional media served as a filter, but now with social media, anyone can become an information disseminator without a filter.

"This condition makes hoax news easily spread and has a negative impact on society and the business world," he said.

In this situation, he considers the media to have an increasingly strategic role. The media is considered capable of reviving healthy communication and ensuring positive interactions between the community, the business world, and the government. With that, the media can be a collaborator who presents solutions, as well as provides color for the progress of journalism in Indonesia.

SUAR Editor-in-Chief Sutta Dharmasaputra agrees that close collaboration between stakeholders is the key to driving the business world and the country's economy. Here, SUAR carries a different vision from most mainstream media.

"While many voices are slowly disappearing, SUAR wants to be a place for voices that need to be heard - especially from businesses, communities and independent thinkers," Sutta said in his speech.

In the midst of the rapid flow of information and the increasing threat of global misinformation, a new media initiative was born to answer these challenges. Under the name SUAR, this media comes with a vision to shine a light on the path of business actors through relevant, in-depth, and solution-oriented information.

"We present ways, strategies, and real inspiration that can be applied by business people from various levels, from UMKM to established companies," said Sutta.