Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir, is urging millennials to seriously consider owning homes at an earlier stage. He pointed out that around 81 million millennials still need housing and should be facilitated to view homes as a fundamental necessity before building a strong family foundation.
“Today I saw, there are even 20-year-olds buying houses. What does that mean? They understand that this (home) is a crucial necessity. They save a bit of money and then buy a house. This is an investment. This is my hope, that in this era of social media, they should avoid being consumptive,” stated Erick.
Erick was present at the Mass Signing of Home Ownership Loan (KPR) initiated by PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk in Puri Delta Tigaraksa, Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
According to Erick, to encourage millennials to own homes early on, a collaboration from various parties is essential. In this regard, the central government, local governments, state-owned enterprises, and private sector need to synergize to provide young people with the opportunity to own homes.
“Today proves that the state is present. We are all here together because we want to ensure that young Thohirs, like my late father when he was young, have the chance to own a home. Moreover, 12.7 million families are still hoping to own a house. Other data shows that 81 million millennial young people do not yet have a home,” explained Erick.
He also shared the story of his late father, Muhammad Thohir, about the importance of owning a home at a young age. After saving a little from his earnings, Muhammad Thohir chose to make installments for a small house in the Tebet Market area of Jakarta.
To his children, Muhammad Thohir conveyed that the value of a house is not just in its structure. The value of a house lies in its aspirations.
“He told me that the key to a house, the key he showed me, is important because it’s not just about the building, but it’s the key to hope. Because when you have a home, usually you can build a good family,” reminisced Erick.
He added that having a good family is essential for building the Indonesian people. With a strong family foundation, we can together become a better society.
“It’s impossible to have good character, for our children to grow up well, for our families to prosper, without the foundation of education,” expressed Erick.
