Jakarta. GP Ansor, the youth arm of the Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama, is planning to gather its diasporas spread across 20 countries to inspire innovation for Indonesia.

This plan has earned the praise from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Jokowi recently held a meeting with GP Ansor’s senior members alongside the group’s chairman Addin Jauharudin at the State Palace in Jakarta. Jokowi also told the GP Ansor members that all hands need to be on deck to propel Indonesia's economic growth.

“Our economy grew around 5.11 percent, but we are seeing major economies such as Japan and the UK entering recession,” Jokowi said.

Jokowi said his successor Prabowo Subianto could bring this growth to 6 percent as long as there were no political turbulences. “We can become the fourth or fifth largest economy, as predicted by international financial institutions.”

Addin then talked of his recent meeting with the GP Ansor’s chamber in Malaysia. The group today already has chambers across 10 countries, including Germany, Malaysia, and the Netherlands.

“We encourage GP Ansor’s diasporas to use their skills to innovate and build Indonesia. GP Ansor will link them with the government and businesses,” he said.

GP Ansor also invited Jokowi to attend the inauguration ceremony for the group’s executive board who will serve for the 2024-2029 term as well as its 90th anniversary. Jokowi is also invited to an exhibition of Jokowi’s achievements over the past 10 years. This exhibition is set to take place in GBK Arena later this month.