Jakarta, 29 December 2025 - Prasasti Center for Policy Studies (Prasasti) and BACenter held a forum titled “2025 Year-End Reflection for Building the Future” at The Ritz-Carlton Pacific Place, Jakarta, on Monday evening (29/12). The forum served as a space for national contemplation, looking back on Indonesia’s journey throughout 2025 while charting the country’s future direction amid global competitiveness challenges.
The event featured a 2025 reflection keynote delivered by scholar Yudi Latif under the theme “Reconstruction of Indonesian Civilization.” The program opened with introductory remarks from Burhanuddin Abdullah, a member of Prasasti’s Board of Advisors as well as Chair of the Supervisory Board of BACenter. The reflection that evening also included readings of “Poems for the Nation” by cultural figure Taufiq Ismail.
The year-end reflection forum was held in a spirit of deep concern in light of the floods and landslides that struck the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Prasasti and BACenter expressed appreciation for the very high level of public participation in supporting the government’s disaster response and post-disaster recovery efforts. “We appreciate the spirit of mutual cooperation and community solidarity that has emerged as our social strength as a nation,” said Burhanuddin. He also stressed that the government must consistently manage natural resources wisely and sustainably so that development does not create vulnerability to future disaster impacts.
In his opening address, Burhanuddin Abdullah emphasized the importance of pausing to reflect amid the accelerating pace of change. According to him, a year-end reflection is not merely a personal ritual, but a way for the nation to weigh, internalize, and understand the collective journey it has undergone.
Burhanuddin stated, “Indonesia’s journey over the past year deserves appreciation. Various development efforts involving the government, the business sector, state‑owned enterprises, MSMEs, cooperatives, and society at large reflect a shared effort to improve quality of life.” He cited, for example, nutrition programs and village economic strengthening, which are expected to shape a younger generation that is healthier, more agile, and smarter in the medium to long term.
However, Burhanuddin reminded the audience that the road ahead remains long and steep. A number of indicators show that Indonesia still lags behind neighboring countries. In the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, Indonesia’s position fell from 65th in 2020 to 73rd in 2024. Meanwhile, in the Human Capital Index, Indonesia’s score has only reached 0.56, trailing Malaysia and Vietnam. This means that a child in Indonesia today grows to realize only about 56 percent of his or her maximum future productivity potential.
In terms of labor productivity, Indonesia records around US$28,000 per worker, far below Singapore, which exceeds US$150,000, and Malaysia at around US$55,000. The gap is also striking in the area of innovation. Patent data per one million population show that Indonesia recorded only 84 patents during 2000–2023, compared with Singapore’s more than 22 thousand and South Korea’s more than 93 thousand. “This is not merely a gap; it is a civilizational chasm,” Burhanuddin stressed in his reflection. For that reason, he believes Indonesia needs a great leap forward, not just incremental improvements.
Echoing Burhanuddin, Yudi Latif warned that political democracy cannot survive without a just and inclusive economic foundation. “Political democracy without economic democracy will not last long. If the economy remains extractive and benefits only a small elite, then freedom will instead become an instrument of domination,” Yudi Latif asserted.
He added that true prosperity cannot be measured by wealth alone. “A country may be rich in natural resources, but to be prosperous means that this blessing is enjoyed broadly. That is the essence of a Pancasila economy—an economy that is cooperative and inclusive.”
The 2025 year‑end reflection event concluded with poetry readings by Taufiq Ismail, featuring three works: Membaca Tanda‑Tanda (1982), Kerja Besar dan Berat (2005), and Kupu‑Kupu di Dalam Buku (1996). Each poem reflects, respectively, ecological crisis, resilience in the aftermath of disaster, and a longing for a civilization grounded in knowledge.
Through this event, Prasasti Center for Policy Studies and BACenter hope that the year‑end reflection can serve as an intellectual and moral foundation for stakeholders as they look toward Indonesia’s future—with the courage to make great leaps forward, consistency in development direction, and the affirmation of humanistic values as the bedrock of civilization.