Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Muhammad Tito Karnavian said the Minangkabau Economic and Cultural Movement (Gebu Minang) organization could strengthen the nation’s economy and culture. The Minister of Home Affairs conveyed this at the Inauguration of the Gebu Minang Central Executive Board (DPP) for the 2022-2027 Period at the Mulia Senayan Hotel, Jakarta, Sunday (18/9/2022). He said that the economic sector has become a great thing for the Minang people because the Minang people are very famous for their economic genes which makes them good at trading. They have an economic network that is spread both at the national and international levels. “Everywhere has economic networks such as Padang restaurants. Whether in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, to Papua, there are Padang restaurants. Not only that, abroad such as Australia and the United States, there are Padang restaurants,” he said in a press statement, Monday (19/9/2022). The Minister of Home Affairs praised the Minang people who have their advantages in terms of culture which can be seen from the way of life, art, buildings, and the culinary that Minang people have. One of the things that make Indonesian proud, for example, is rendang, which has been named the most delicious food in the world and has brought Indonesia’s good name in the international arena. "Well, we have to preserve this culture, part of the wealth, not only the Minang people but part of the wealth of Indonesia. That's what we have been chanting about Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, pluralism, meaning that this diversity is wealth for us," he said.
On the other hand, Gebu Minang can strengthen the economy by building a diaspora network at the international level. A strong diaspora network will elevate Indonesia to become one of the driving forces in various sectors of the world and it will have an impact on development in Indonesia. "We are talking about building a diaspora which means having an immigrant spirit. One of the strongest immigrant souls is the Minang community. We hope that the Minang people will not only take part at the national level in the economic field, especially but also internationally. (Minang people become) the motor of the Indonesian nation at the international level, at the global level," he said. In addition, the Minister of Home Affairs hopes that Gebu Minang will not be trapped in exclusive primordialism because it is feared that other regions will follow suit and the ethnic movement will turn into a sectoral movement, whilst Indonesia is a plural country. Tito hopes that Gebu Minang will become the strength of the nation, the wealth of the nation with its cultural and economic strength for the progress of the nation, and the motor of the economy and building an international diaspora.
