Excess Suply of Indonesian Garrulous Class

I don’t often keep up with events in Indonesia, but lately, I’ve noticed the emergence of a new societal group; let’s call it the "Garrulous Class."

This class is characterized by individuals who tend to focus on trivial matters, often discussing ‘big picture’ topics such as sustainability, youth politics, demographic bonuses, development, inequality, social justice, and more. They often express their views but, in my opinion, lack the ability to provide innovative and significant solutions to the problems they address, despite their fervent attempts.

This class is typically found on social media, in universities, within the government, and also among certain segments of private and state-owned enterprises. They are often graduates of Indonesia’s top three universities, who then pursue their postgraduate studies in foreign countries, their studies financed by the unwitting Indonesian taxpayers through ‘prestigious’ government scholarships.

My first encounter with individuals from this class dates back to my high school and undergraduate years, about a decade ago. There were senior students who attempted to convince us, the freshmen, that “we are the future leaders of Indonesia,” and “we should consider policies that influence the direction of Indonesia,” among other statements. Another interesting instance involves certain companies that employ a large group of policy professionals whose primary role is to communicate with the government and shape policies. Why not simply focus on profitability without relying on government subsidies? This remains a puzzle. To be clear, I once embraced these perspectives and was actually part of this class. Talk about irony!

I personally believe that the reason this class is so talkative (hence the name "Garrulous Class") is a sense of inadequacy stemming from their lack of technical skills to directly address and solve the issues they raise. The highly educated individuals in this class recognize that they may be overeducated in somewhat impractical fields, lacking necessary technical competencies.

My concern is that this class will continue to grow while technical experts – those pushing the boundaries of knowledge, economy, and society – are leaving for other countries. Consider the number of Indonesian STEM graduates becoming Singaporean citizens, or the number of Indonesian physicists and material scientists who manage to secure funding from the Korean Department of Defense, among other similar cases.

Do I have a solution to this perceived oversupply? No, I don’t. But I do acknowledge my own bias and disdain for this class. It’s possible that I am mistaken. People from this class do find employment, so technically there’s no ’excess supply.’ Nevertheless, I do hope that society and its decision-makers will come to agree with my viewpoint.