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#44. Indonesia:
cooperation to
achieve wellbeing

stories • Published October, 2021

Indonesia’s rank on the Happy Planet Index in

2019: #44. Explore the data.

By: Palupi Lindiasari Samputra

The presence of a tool like the Happy Planet Index (HPI) in

measuring holistic life has been eagerly awaited, especially by

the Indonesian people. The HPI’s messages align with the idea of

“Pancasila” as the ideal way of life for our nation, which

focuses on enabling self-development and synergising with God,

humans, and the environment.

Decision-making in Indonesia, according to Pancasila democracy,

is

“the people who are led by wisdom in deliberation and

representation.”

The process involves the participation of the entire community

through deliberation for consensus. Each individual can express

opinions freely, independently, and based on his beliefs with

full responsibility. Society upholds the nature of tolerance and

respects every opinion of others, thus fostering an attitude of

kinship. The goal is to realise physical and spiritual well-

being for all people through the fifth principle of Pancasila,

“social justice for all Indonesian people.”

What is going well?

We see positive trends in Indonesia’s life expectancy,

subjective happiness, and ecological footprint. Indonesia’s

relative success on the HPI rankings, as compared to

neighbouring Malaysia, can be seen in how it manages a much

larger population (270 million vs. 32 million) to achieve

roughly the same level of subjective wellbeing with an

ecological footprint per capita that is less than half of that

in Malaysia.

Indonesia’s subjective wellbeing from 2006 to 2019 was the most

variable factor in Indonesia’s HPI score, as compared to the

country’s life expectancy and ecological footprint. Why was this

the case?

The “Gotong-Royong” (cooperation) between the government and

civil society movements is Indonesia’s strength in achieving

wellbeing. This collaboration led to the creation of equitable

development policies in 34 provinces. The government’s

significant role in development was realised through the

Nawacita program, which included agrarian reform, social

protection, and mental revolution (shifting from negative to

positive mindsets), all of which created greater prosperity in

this country.

Strong community movements have built clean and beautiful

villages through this “Gotong-Royong” (cooperation), bringing

about economic and social benefits. The success of these

movements starts from the awareness of individuals who care

about the surrounding environment, which then encourages other

individuals to work together selflessly to balance the wellbeing

of both the environment and humans.

What should Indonesians focus on

next?

COVID-19 had a large impact on people’s mental health. The

fluctuation in Indonesia’s wellbeing score indicates our

vulnerability to external influences.

I believe the main priority for increasing Indonesia’s HPI

ranking should be a community movement that cares for the

environment based on local wisdom. The initiator needs to be a

driving force for the community in the surrounding environment.

Examples of strong community movements in Indonesia include

“Karang-Taruna“, the youth movement that advocates for the

environment, the BUMDES program, and the food security model for

the Cipta Gelar Village. This collaborative caring movement will

foster mutual love and respect between humans and the

environment.

New approaches to decision making need to pay attention to how

to foster strong mental health, positive attitudes, the progress

of each individual, and rational and empathetic mindsets within

the population. A low-cost strategy to do this is needed, namely

“Gotong Royong,” which involves the community’s participation in

decision making.

Ultimately, humans with strong subjective wellbeing and a

conscience can realise the happiness and health of this planet.

About the author

Palupi Lindiasari Samputra is a Pancasila economic thinker with a Doctorate in Economics from the

University of Indonesia. She is an educator and researcher at the National Resilience Study

Program, School of Strategic and Global Studies-Universitas Indonesia. Palupi hopes to change the

future economic paradigm from an individualistic perspective to a humane cooperation perspective

through the development of the Pancasila character.

She has published research results related to issues of sustainable development (social economy,

environment), banking, policy issues, behavioral economics, Pancasila economics, and local wisdom.

You can contact at palupi.ls@ui.ac.id and on LinkedIn.

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