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Deputy Minister Emphasizes Character Strength in Closing Internship Program
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Elections & Politics

Deputy Minister Emphasizes Character Strength in Closing Internship Program

From CNN Indonesia · (13m ago) Indonesian Positive tone

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Indonesian Deputy Home Affairs Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto stressed the importance of character building during the closing of an internship program.
  • He stated that character accounts for 80% of success, while competence only contributes about 20%.
  • Arya emphasized that strong character, including honesty, discipline, and resilience, is crucial for future leaders.

At the closing ceremony of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) internship program, Deputy Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto delivered a compelling message emphasizing the paramount importance of character development for aspiring leaders. Speaking at the Bogor City Library and Gallery, Arya articulated a philosophy that places character above mere competence, asserting that 80% of success is determined by one's inner values and resilience, with skills and knowledge making up the remaining 20%.

Character is the values you believe in. You are honest, you are disciplined, you become fighters, you become warriors, that is character.

— Bima Arya SugiartoDuring his speech at the closing of the Kemendagri internship program, explaining his definition of character.

From the perspective of CNN Indonesia, this event highlights a key focus within the Indonesian government's developmental programs: nurturing not just skilled professionals, but individuals with strong ethical foundations. Arya's message resonates with a cultural understanding in Indonesia that often values integrity, perseverance, and a strong moral compass as essential traits for leadership. His analogy of a "fighter" or "petarung" speaks to the resilience needed to overcome challenges, a quality deeply respected in many Indonesian contexts.

You will be able to overtake your genius friends when you are more disciplined. That's just one, discipline, not to mention others, that's just one discipline. The second is your habit of daring to face differences, tests, trials, and so on.

— Bima Arya SugiartoIllustrating the power of discipline and resilience over innate intelligence for success.

What makes this story particularly relevant from an Indonesian viewpoint is the explicit connection drawn between character, leadership, and national development. The internship program at Kemendagri is framed not just as a training ground for bureaucratic skills, but as a crucible for forging the character of future public servants. Arya's encouragement for interns to "dare to take risks" and "step out of their comfort zone" reflects a broader aspiration for a generation of leaders who are proactive and decisive, capable of navigating the complexities of governing a diverse nation like Indonesia. This focus on character is a distinctly Indonesian approach, prioritizing inner strength and ethical grounding as the bedrock of effective governance.

We have many choices, and great people dare to take risks for choices. Risky choices.

— Bima Arya SugiartoEncouraging interns to embrace risk-taking as a trait of successful individuals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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