Struggles has been an universal language for most of the people around the world, not to mention for the people who living the title of a middle class. The discovery of this realization emerged when I watched a video of two Indonesian academicians and economists; Chatib Basri and Gita Wirjawan, talking about the middle class struggle among the uncertainties.
In their conversation, Basri and Wirjawan discuss the struggles faced by the middle class in the context of global economic and political challenges. Basri highlights that governments in many countries tend to focus policies on the poor, while the wealthy benefit from development, often neglecting the specific needs of the middle class. He uses the concept of the “elephant curve” to illustrate the income growth patterns in Indonesia between 2019 and 2023, where the poorest and the richest experienced positive income growth, but the middle-income deciles (5th to 8th) experienced negative growth, indicating a decline in their economic well-being.
Drawing a parallel with the “Chilean Paradox,” Basri explains how a country with strong economic growth, high income per capita, and a good Human Development Index still faced significant social unrest because the middle class felt left behind and without specific policy attention. This underscores the importance of addressing the needs of the middle class, not just the poor and the rich.
Among the rising topic of #KaburAjaDulu as I mentioned on the previous post, many young Indonesian seems wanted to have a better option to getting away from the struggles immediately to seek for an ‘asylum’, including the middle class themselves.
Paradox of #KaburAjaDulu for Middle Class in Indonesia
Having grown up in an upper-middle-class family in Jakarta, I find myself fitting squarely into the category described by Basri, making this sentiment feel all the more personal and relatable. The systematic inequality making middle class far away from the privilege of having security, education and mental stability. This peaked when I got a message from my niece from home, as she is currently anxious about her future in the country:
Translation:
“Lately I’ve been looking for student exchange scholarships (high school) because I really want to go abroad.”
“The more I see the news about this country, the more scared I get—I just want to leave.”
“I don’t even know anymore what I’ll become if I stay here too long.”
The fact that many young Indonesians—our future human capital—are now seeking to escape and live abroad out of fear and frustration is a powerful reflection of how the system has failed to offer them a promising future.
While the idea of leaving Indonesia first and returning only after achieving success may sound appealing, the reality of migrating abroad is far more complex. Various barriers—such as legal regulations, limited opportunities, educational requirements, and financial constraints—make it a difficult path to pursue. Financial constraints is the biggest challenge for most of middle class to pursue their dream, education or work abroad because most of the language tests, preparation tests or transportation to reach most of big cities are particularly very costly.
As the result, based on the video above, Indonesia still lacks a strong presence in the global diaspora. Gita Wirjawan pointed out that while countries like India and China each have nearly 400,000 students studying in the US, Indonesia has only around 8,500. The gap is also evident in the UK, where China is represented by 200,000 students, compared to just 4,000 Indonesians across all campuses.
Culture as A Bridge of Nations
When we move abroad, we may become distanced from our geographical roots, but our values and cultural identity often remain with us. According to the Citywide Culture Strategy 2023–30, culture is the way we express who we are, our values, ideas, aspirations, and thoughts, through creativity and the arts. It shapes our way of life and reflects the attitudes, beliefs, and ambitions we hold in common. And culture is the wealth that we can carry everywhere we go.
I have a habit of introducing my cultures to my peers in the university through various range of Indonesian dishes in London, because I know it is much easier to do as foods connect most of the people. I loved how they were reacted when they experienced it on the first time.
To my surprise, I received a DM from my friend a couple days ago, they told me that they saw this video of a koplo singer popped out on their social media and they said that were very much liked it.
I was astounded that this song went through their algorithm, in fact that they are Scottish and lived in London, I never expected they would hear this kind of subgenre, and they liked it. Moreover, this type of song is niche and mostly being listened— as far as I experienced— by older generation in Indonesia. I myself, may barely listen to this kind of songs.
Koplo or dangdut, according to Wikipedia, is a subgenre of dangdut, Indonesian popular dance & folk music, that originated in East Java and popularized in the early 2000s. The genre gets its name from the slang term “koplo” which refers to a hallucinogenic drug that is sold cheaply in Indonesia. In addition, In 1995, Secretary of State, Moerdiono declared that dangdut is ‘The Music of the People’ making it is seen to be more populist music.
Thanks to social media, more people have become exposed to intercultural exchange, allowing various cultures and traditions to gain greater visibility on a global scale. Platforms like TikTok, in particular, have played a major role in introducing new trends to wider audiences through viral sounds. A recent example is the global popularity of the ‘Velocity‘ dance trend, which features koplo music as its backing track—bringing this uniquely Indonesian sound to the attention of international viewers.
Therefore, enhancing global cultural awareness can be done easily through social media which also unlocked the barrier of becoming more exposed to the global world.
Synthensizing The Middle Class Constraints with Creative Culture
I might be one of the lucky few who has the opportunity to pursue academic goals in London, at one of the world’s most respected art schools. Yet, I’m fully aware that many others are still struggling just to make ends meet, let alone dare to place their dreams on a higher pedestal. Still, that doesn’t mean middle-class individuals—especially Indonesians—are unable to experience joy and fulfillment in life. This sense of enjoyment can be nurtured through culture and creative resilience.
In fact, Indonesia’s culture, creativity is deeply rooted in its rich multicultural traditions and arts. Making creative industry a significant contributor to the creative economy, because it is able to employ around 19.39 million people and contribute about USD 82 billion to the Indonesian GDP. Boosting the creative economy with an integrated plan can drive Indonesia’s economy for the better.
From this exploration, discussion and analysis of my question, it sparks an idea about the change I want to see, which is “How can creative industry and culture can generate economic resilience, sustainability and global connection among Indonesian middle class.” This question doesn’t just highlight a desire for economic growth, but also emphasizes the role of creativity and culture as drivers of empowerment, identity, and long-term progress.
In a rapidly globalizing and technological advanced world, I believe that nurturing creative ecosystems and cultural capital can equip the Indonesian middle class with the means not just to survive, but to thrive—economically, socially, and creatively. This question will based from Indonesia as the example, and hopefully can also be implemented to many other countries.
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