RI Presidential Staff Office to Recruit 6 Harvard Graduates

Liputan6.com, Jakarta The Presidential Staff office has recruited 6 Harvard University, United States of America graduates to become its members. 

They will soon fill the staff positions at the Presidential office and assigned to help the establishment of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and his Vice Jusuf Kalla’s agenda throughout 5 years of national leadership.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla views the recruitment of individuals from American ivy league school as positive yet quite harmful to competent individuals who pursue their academic ambition locally. 

According to him, those who graduated from foreign universities are not always competent or capable in doing governmental task and local graduates are equally competent and competitive. 

Thus, Kalla views it as necessary to not undermine the intelligence of those graduating from local universities. He points out how attending foreign universities is not the benchmark or the standard to justify someone’s intelligence and capabilities.

"It does not necessarily have to be foreign university graduates such as those from Harvard. I graduated from local university. Most of great Indonesian journalist and reporters are not Harvard graduates, but look at where they are now? Successful in accordance to their yielded effort to the institution they currently work at," Jusuf Kalla said at his home in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Monday (6/4/2015).

Jusuf Kalla continues sharing how those who graduated from universities abroad are not always better off than those who graduated locally. 

They may be theoretically more knowledgeable, but it does not mean that their ability on the field surpass those who pursue their academic ambition within the country.

"The smart bunch usually ends up being the consultant instead of being the executors or the ones deployed on the field. Sure, many of them are very smart, but can they implement it in real life with all the barriers and challenges Indonesia has? Many of Indonesians who did not finish their school end up performing very well when given task," Jusuf Kalla continued.

Later, the Chief of Presidential Staff Office, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan revealed how his organization will have 6 Harvard University graduates working for him.

"We are looking for extremely competent candidates. We have been informed that there are 6 young Indonesians currently schooled at Harvard University, America. They will graduate soon and they have expressed their interest to be involved in the organisation " Luhut shared at the National Secretariat office, Central Jakarta on Thursday 2 April 2015. 

Even with the good news of having these competent individuals working for the Presidential Staff office, Luhut admitted that he still has to wait for these candidates to graduate this mid year. 

According to Luhut, these chosen people were the options provided by the 5 deputies he just recently inaugurated.

"Well, it was the deputy’s decision. Their job initially was to find the best of the best. So we would identify these competent Indonesian students at Harvard. After that, I will have these individuals working for me where I would groom and train them to become great leaders. So that is my dream," Luhut concluded. (Akp/Riz)