The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) of Universitas Jember held its first-ever International Webinar. Taking place in the International Room, FISIP, Universitas Jember, the webinar focused on the theme “Sustainable Social-Political and Economic Development Toward Indonesia’s Golden Era 2045”. Held on June 13, 2024, the event was attended by the entire academic community of FISIP Universitas Jember, both online and offline. The Dean of FISIP Universitas Jember, Dr. Djoko Poernomo, M.Si., CIQnR., CSBA., delivered the opening remarks, addressing several contemporary social and political issues.
The event continued with a welcome address and official opening by Prof. Drs. Slamin, M.Comp.Sc., Ph.D., the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of Universitas Jember, who also served as a keynote speaker. The international webinar featured several speakers, including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suyatno Ladiqi, a lecturer from Sultan Zainal Abidin University, Malaysia; Visara Kraiwatanapong, Ph.D., a lecturer from Ubon Ratchatani University, Thailand; and Prof. Drs. Abubakar Eby Hara, M.A., Ph.D., a lecturer in the International Relations Study Program at FISIP, Universitas Jember.
Rosnida Sari S. Ag., M.Si., Ph.D., as the sole moderator, successfully facilitated the webinar in a comfortable and conducive atmosphere.
The first presentation was delivered by Visara Kraiwatanapong, Ph.D., who discussed Thailand’s economy and social development. Thailand has made significant progress in both areas and aims to become a high-income country. Tourism, cuisine, and culture are part of Thailand’s soft power strategy to build a positive international image. Additionally, data on economic development from year to year was presented in diagram form, differentiating between the 1997 monetary crisis and the post-crisis period. Data on Thailand’s economic development and the facilities that support social development were also presented.
The next speaker was Prof. Drs. Abubakar Eby Hara, M.A., Ph.D., who discussed the role of technocracy in sustainable social, political, and economic development. Prof. Eby explained the reasons why technocracy is linked to sustainable development. Technocracy is a model of government where decision-makers are selected based on their technical expertise and background. He also discussed the current political regime and the need for the government to build public trust, assuring that programs that may seem difficult or unpopular can actually benefit the nation in the long run.
The final speaker was Prof. Dr. Suyatno Ladiqi, who discussed the potential of Indonesia’s soft power. Indonesia’s soft power approach primarily focuses on culture, cuisine, and tourism (tourism diplomacy). He explained the definition and concept of soft power, Indonesia’s soft power approach in detail, and the challenges and limitations of Indonesia’s soft power. He also presented data on Indonesia’s ranking in the Soft Power Asia Index 2021.
Following the presentations, a question-and-answer session moderated by the moderator was held with the webinar participants. The event concluded with a group photo.