Yogyakarta, May 22, 2025—Community empowerment, energy transition, and food security became government agendas in an effort to achieve the Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision. UGM’s Faculty of Social and Political Science organized a discussion session regarding the challenges and development of these three agenda together with experts from the Gaziantep University, Turkey. Held on Thursday (22/5), the discussion talked about how factors such as climate change and food crisis became determinant of the success of the government’s agenda.
Dr. Mehmet Cevat Yildirim, as Associate Professor of Public Administration, explained that the global crisis has experienced its own set of dynamics from time to time along with technological advancements and climate change. For example, in 1970, there was a transition from the import sector to global manufacturing. It then developed further to global factory networks due to globalization. Now, the world has entered an era of robotic technology and the neoliberal economic structure. These changes have caused a number of disruptions in various fields, including employment. “This creates new problems for countries that depend on the development of urban areas. This is the case in Turkey, where the growth of industry outpaced the infrastructure planning process,” Mehmet stated. Gebze, one of the centers of the automotive and chemical industries that drive Turkey’s economy, is now faced with the lack of adequate infrastructure. Unprepared, the city infrastructure is increasingly under pressure, causing several social problems such as congestion, minimal public service, and high population density.
Dr. Mehmet Cevat Yildirim, as Associate Professor of Public Administration, explained that the global crisis has experienced its own set of dynamics from time to time along with technological advancements and climate change. For example, in 1970, there was a transition from the import sector to global manufacturing. It then developed further to global factory networks due to globalization. Now, the world has entered an era of robotic technology and the neoliberal economic structure. These changes have caused a number of disruptions in various fields, including employment. “This creates new problems for countries that depend on the development of urban areas. This is the case in Turkey, where the growth of industry outpaced the infrastructure planning process,” Mehmet stated. Gebze, one of the centers of the automotive and chemical industries that drive Turkey’s economy, is now faced with the lack of adequate infrastructure. Unprepared, the city infrastructure is increasingly under pressure, causing several social problems such as congestion, minimal public service, and high population density.
Similar things are happening in Indonesia, specifically in the city of Bekasi, West Java. Mehmet’s research has shown Bekasi as the centre of the world’s automotive industry that has grown at a rapid pace due to investments. However, the area of Bekasi itself is separated into two very unequal areas, namely the modern industrial district and the residential district. “The city infrastructure that we see in Bekasi is under pressure due to high amounts of migration, land purchase for investment and infrastructure gaps,” Mehmet explained. According to him, the economic growth experienced is not accompanied by proper access to public services and infrastructures.
