REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed global issues and strategies necessary for Indonesia's transformation into a developed country.
During a closed-door meeting in Jakarta on Friday, they shared the view that Indonesia needs national transformation strategies to enhance the quality of life of its people.
To achieve this, they emphasized the importance of national security and stability, said Shuhaela Haqim, the Tony Blair Institute's director for Indonesia.
Haqim further explained that these strategic steps could include alleviating extreme poverty, ensuring nutritional food distribution, empowering local economies, implementing digitization, and advocating for financial inclusiveness.
"All of these measures are critical for Indonesia to emerge as a developed country," she said.
Blair, currently serving on the advisory council of Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, also congratulated Prabowo on his victory in the recent presidential election.
As the meeting concluded, Prabowo received a book titled “A Journey,” shedding light on Blair’s political career, which peaked during his tenure as the British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007.
Besides Haqim, Blair was accompanied by the Tony Blair Institute's director for Asia, Jalil Rasheed, and the institute's director for Southeast Asia, Damian Hickey.
Earlier, Blair met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace on Thursday. During the meeting, Blair was asked to assist Indonesia in expediting its digital transformation.
State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB) Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas revealed that Blair also visited his office to discuss Indonesia's digital transformation.
Azwar said that his ministry and the Tony Blair Institute have taken steps to accelerate Indonesia's digital transformation, drawing insights from digitization efforts in the United Kingdom and Estonia.
The institute is also planning to assist Indonesia in launching an e-government system called INA Digital, which aims to integrate various public service applications.
"Currently, there are around 27,000 public service applications, making it cumbersome for citizens to install them individually," Azwar added.
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