Better to be an Entrepreneur than an Official, a Wistful Boediono Says - The Jakarta Globe

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Better to be an Entrepreneur than an Official, a Wistful Boediono Says - The Jakarta Globe

Better to be an Entrepreneur than an Official, a Wistful Boediono Says

Although many people think he has one of the best jobs in the country, Vice President Boediono said on Friday that given the chance, he would much prefer to be a businessman than a top government official.

“If when I was young and there had been an independent business program, I might not be a minister or a vice president but instead a businessman,” Boediono said, addressing an awards ceremony for creativity and innovation in developing independent businesses.

Since the fall of President Suharto in 1998, government officials have increasingly becoming the target of public criticism.

“These days it is better to be an entrepreneur than a [government] official,” he added.

Boediono praised business people for their contribution to democracy. “In the political perspective, business people are key to the development of democracy,” he said. “They are independent people who do not bow to the tight structure and are free to express their thoughts. That’s why business people are the group that support democracy.”

Boediono also told current and former students attending the ceremony that he had a longing to return to university. He said that before becoming a state official, he regularly gave lectures at universities. “But I cannot carry on with my hobby now, although I do hope there will be chance in the future,” he said.

“When I meet university students, it feels like flowers blooming in my heart,” he said.

He said that his doubts about whether the nation could actually compete with others successfully would vanish when meeting young people.

“I become very optimistic about our nation,” he said, telling the students present that they are the country’s future leaders.
“You should be prepared,” he said. “We will fade away and go down, but we will confidently give the torch of the race for leadership to you.”

Boediono said he was happy with recent developments concerning entrepreneur programs at universities.