Meritocracy, Democracy, and Southeast Asia | Gita Wirjawan

In November-December 2022 Indonesia hosted two international events, the Group of Twenty Summit (G20) and the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF). Being in the country then, Gita Wirjawan gained impressions of the G20 and attended the BDF. At both gatherings, he noted, concerns were expressed over the rise of autocracy, the growth of populism, and their effects on state integrity and performance, including an inability to recruit and select national leaders based on their actual talent-proven merit-above other considerations. This tendency is increasingly common, Wirjawan will argue, in developed as well as developing countries.
A vital requisite for the economic and democratic success of open economies, in Southeast Asia as elsewhere, is trust. International transfers of capital are like flows of water driven by gravity. The power of that attraction depends on the extent to which the receiving country is perceived as trustworthy. For liberal democracy to thrive in Southeast Asia, the region needs good governance by talented and trusted leaders who can ensure that appropriate rules are enforced and that the benefits of economic growth accrue to all layers of society. Wirjawan’s recommendations in that context will include a priority on widely available quality education.
Gita Wirjawan is an Indonesian entrepreneur and educator. Having established a successful investment business in Indonesia, the Ancora Group, he created the Ancora Foundation. The foundation has endowed scholarships for Indonesians to attend Stanford and other high-ranked universities around the world and has funded the training of teachers at hundreds of Indonesian kindergartens serving underprivileged children. Wirjawan’s public service has included positions as Indonesia’s minister of trade, chairman of its Investment Coordinating Board, and chair of a 159-nation WTO ministerial conference in 2012 that focused on easing global trade barriers. He led his country’s national badminton association in 2012-16 when Indonesia won four gold medals in the sport at world championships including the Olympics. As an educator, he advises Indonesia’s School of Government and Public Policy (SGPP) and Yale’s School of Management, among other institutions. At SGPP he hosts a public-policy podcast called endgame, to which an estimated 471,000 people subscribe and which has recently carried several interviews with Stanford faculty. His degrees are from the Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), Baylor University (MBA), and the University of Texas at Austin (BSc).

[@mrezarifki]

Thank you so much.

[@budisantoso-ze6rp]

I totally agree if Gita Wiryawan rum for Indonesian Presidential electtion or to be Indonesian vice President rather than Prabowo Subianto or Jokowi's son, cause Gita is has integrity, capability to be Indonesian's leader.

[@randalltangkulung2]

I think Mr. Gita is too emphasizing in economic realm to run over the indicator of developed country. There are many indicators besides economy such as mentality of their citizens in a certain country, social-culture factors, etc.

[@747sgw]

the moderator (with due respect, dont even want to know his name)..... should be talking about Indonesia more (since Gita is an Indonesian).... if the moderator wants to talk / discuss / debate about Singapore, then get a Singaporean, not to get an indonesian.... this is how western academics lose credence in a discourse.... (I am so glad that Gita was able to respond to these incessant barrage of accusations about SG, without having a proper SG speaker on the panel)..... sad to have such moderator (perhaps let us invite the moderator to come to SG... and take on President Tharman --- although he may not have the qualitative and quantitative credence to speak to President Tharman.... unlike the likes of Fareed Zakaria who is on an Asian descent and understands Asia....

[@747sgw]

Pak Gita, thanks for standing up for SG.... any likely this platform may not be suitable or this moderator is not suitable to promote cohesiveness, cooperation and healthy discourse with Asean (i bet you he has no clue about the other 9 Asean countries, let alone to talk about Timor Leste)....

[@leemannofa]

Who is going to teach in Sumedang from Palo Alto, jangan ngilindur; memalukan ngomong seperti Di Stanford