Kodrat Wibowo, PhD, “Books are debts an academician has to repay.”
[Unpad.ac.id, 24/01/2012] For Kodrat Wibowo, Ph.D., a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business, it is compulsory that a campus nourish the productivity values in minds of the students; similar to the nourishing family values in their homes, and religious values in their communities. Students must not only possess scientific knowledge but also has to obtain productive ethos that puts forward collective interests instead of personal interests. This is the value that all students in Indonesia must attend to; within their hearts and souls.
Kodrat Wibowo, PhD (Foto: Tedi Yusup)*
Such belief in the values mentioned in the above has become the ground for Kodrat Wibowo, who now chairs Indonesian Economic Scholars Association (ISEI) Bandung Office, West Java Coordinating Region, in addressing various problems that he faces, particularly those related to the discipline of which expertise he possesses. As an economist, he believes that apart from the availability of Natural Resources and the quantity of Human Resources, our economy is greatly influenced by other important aspects.
“Economy is greatly influenced by non-machine technology; namely brain and ethos of the ones who care for the good for all. These two elements can be created in schools and campuses,” said Kodrat Wibowo, who is also the head of Development Economic Studies Department Unpad.
As day passes, without neglecting his participation outside campus, Kodrat Wibowo has to make sure the academic life in his department runs well. He is a researcher at the Research, Community, and Economic Studies Center (LP3E) and a reviewer at the Fiscal Policy Body (BKF) the Ministry of Finance Republic of Indonesia. What he has been doing is not targeted solely for his department, but also in a bigger context for the university.
“For me, life is not confined within campus. It has to go outside campus. I’m actually going to go on a car race in Sentul. I happen to be the head of automotive club Aerio Indonesian Club, Bandung,” said he who also participates in RT (neighborhood unit) as the secretary.
Kodrat Wibowo has this longing to write his own book that compiles all pieces of research that he had conducted. The book is not meant for profit; but it is more directed to text book for academicians to refer to. All this time, his thoughts have been put forward in summaries, journals, or popular writings in mass media.
Routine research that he keeps doing yearly is on the analysis on work performance of West Java development program for National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), which covers local financing, public financing, econometrics, and economic development planning. His main pupose is not other than the good for all and community empowerment in production industry.
“I want people recognize me not as a neolib like many have thought so. I do not wish to be called celebrity, too, for the popular writings that I have written. On one hand, a book will make them know me better, my understanding, and my thoughts. On the other hand, the book, is similar to a debt that an academician has to repay,” said he.
His belief in traditional economic power rules out the neolib label that had been attached to hiim. It was proven that Indonesia’s economy has now become more stable do to its semi-traditional characateristic. He recognizes the high optimism that maintains the spirit of the people to break free from the shackle of poverty and move onward from being a delevoping country into a developed country and be committed to laying the role of sustainable economy.
“Seeing the trend of global economy that tends to keep on decreasing, Indonesia was supposedly having difficulties in its economic condition due to its exposure to the international world. However, reality tells the otherwise. Indonesia remains stable due to various factors ranging from education level, consumption rate, and domestic investment climate that keeps improving,” said he.
Sustainable economic development has to pay great attention to its environment and social welfare. Responsibility for the environment does not only lie on the government and consumers but also on manufacturers which contribute greatly to the pollution. The concept of counter-pollution can have less friction; manufacturers can grow robustly, at the same time, pollution can be diminished.
“We now have more than three goals; namely pro poor, pro job, and pro grow. We add one into pro environment,” stated he.
All the achievements on social aspects, Kodrat views that sustainable development cannot be performed if conflicts keep occuring. Social conflicts related to the use of natural resources, legal obscurity, unwillingness to communicate, and regulation violation are highly potential to obstruct the development. Economic issues on natural resources and environment have grown rapidly for they are considered foremost and actual by almost all community members. Solution can come from academic members who are willing to brainstorm and share thoughts.
“The regulations we have are still obscure. On the one hand, the government, via is limiting policy, keeps us from having our own property. On the other hand, the government gives full authority and converging rights of HPH (Logging Concession) to the investors to make use of the our forests— instead of developing the forests, they are actually destroying them,” stated he.
While keeping up with the development of his discipline, Kodrat Wibowo is now aiming at becoming a professor, which is to be seen as a legacy and a recognition from fellow academicians for his academic achievements, instead of simply as a title.
“I don’t have other obsessions. The most important thing is to perform well and be responsible so that I could be useful for everyone and I would gain benefit from it. If I could not provide for others, it would totally be my mishap,” said he.
Report by: Malikkul Shaleh | | | eh*
