UNU Jogja Hosts Inauguration of Ansor Istimewa Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Reminds of Role as Locomotive Driving Progress

Yogyakarta, Indonesia - On Saturday, April 26, UNU Jogja hosted the inauguration of the Regional Leadership Council (PW) of the Ansor Youth Movement (GP) in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The event was themed “Special Ansor Inauguration, Toward the Future of Ansor and Commemoration of Ansor’s 91st Anniversary.” The chairman and members of the PW GP Ansor DIY were sworn in for their term of service from 2024 to 2028 at the event held in the 5th-floor hall of UNU Jogja’s integrated campus. 

In his virtual speech, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK) Pratikno congratulated the inauguration of the PW GP Ansor DIY and reminded them that this inauguration is the first step in realizing the organization's vision and mission. 

"At nearly a century old, GP Ansor must continue to actively renew itself. This is the way to remain relevant, address increasingly complex challenges, and win the competition with social, human, and knowledge capital,” he said. I am confident that GP Ansor needs cadres who master future science and technology,” he said. 

Therefore, the Minister of PMK expressed strong support for the DIY GP Ansor Regional Chapter inauguration held at the UNU Jogja campus. "UNU Jogja has developed forward-looking programs, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). These are the fields of knowledge that must be mastered to face the complex future,” he added. 

Pratikno hopes that with mastery of these fields, GP Ansor can become a locomotive that pulls many carriages forward. In the field of education, for example, GP Ansor could collaborate with UNU Jogja to improve the quality of education in schools and madrasahs and bridge the gap between the world of work and the business sector. In the economic sector, GP Ansor could establish a business entity to manage and market products from residents and SMEs. 

"This inauguration marks the beginning of great service. Our task is to build a strong locomotive that can pull long carriages in villages and SMEs so that they can progress and enjoy improved welfare and development as well. This strong locomotive embodies the spirit of service for GP Ansor," he emphasized. 

Previously, the Special Ansor Inauguration event series held a "Food Security Rally with Banser, TNI, and Polri" at the UNU Jogja campus, launching a tree-planting initiative to plant 9,100 trees across the DIY region. The event also included the inauguration of the Banser Regional Command Unit (Satkorwil) and the Hadroh and Salawat Rijalul Ansor DIY committees; the signing of cooperation agreements with various partners; the presentation of the Ansor Lifetime Achievement Award; and the posthumous presentation of the Human Dignity Honor Award to Pope Francis.

Abdul Muiz, the chairman of the DIY GP Ansor regional chapter for the 2024–2028 term, thanked UNU Jogja for its support in organizing the events. "Heartfelt thanks to all our friends, to the rector of UNU Jogja, and to all the advisors who have accompanied us," he said. 

As a token of appreciation, PW GP Ansor DIY presented UNU Jogja with 500 copies of a book, which was symbolically received by the acting rector, Suhadi Cholil. In attendance were the Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Fahmi Akbar Idries; the Rois Syuriah, KH. Mas'ud Masduki; the Chairman of the Executive Board of PWNU DIY, KH. Ahmad Zuhdi Muhdlor; the Chairman of the Central Board of GP Ansor, H. Addin Jauharuddin; and the Minister of Agriculture’s Special Staff for Agricultural Investment, Suwandi. [Arif]