The event was officially opened by Chairman of the UMSU Board of Trustees Agussani together with UMSU Rector Akrim and Vice Rector III Rudianto. Also in attendance were North Sumatra Provincial DPRD member from the NasDem Party faction Defri Noval Pasaribu, faculty leaders, UMSU alumni from the 1997 student activist generation, and students from various faculties.
During the lecture, Panel Barus highlighted Indonesia’s grand vision toward “Golden Indonesia 2045,” supported by the country’s demographic bonus.
“Indonesia has a great dream, namely Golden Indonesia 2045. The vision is for Indonesia to become a developed nation with one of the world’s top five economies. This can only be achieved if preparations begin now,” he explained.
He emphasized that the high level of rural poverty remains one of the main challenges in realizing this vision.
“One of the major obstacles to achieving Golden Indonesia is the persistently high poverty rate in villages. If poverty cannot be reduced to below one percent, that dream will be difficult to achieve,” he stated.
According to him, the government, through its national strategic programs, is encouraging the establishment of Red-and-White Cooperatives in villages as a concrete solution to reduce poverty.
“Village cooperatives must address three key issues: providing affordable basic necessities through village stores, offering low-interest savings and loan services to protect people from loan sharks, and strengthening warehouse and distribution transportation systems,” he explained.
He also outlined three major causes of rural poverty, including the high cost of living driven by expensive distribution and logistics systems.
The event served as a strategic discussion forum on the role of Red-and-White Cooperatives in promoting rural prosperity while preparing human resources toward the realization of Golden Indonesia 2045.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the UMSU Board of Trustees Agussani expressed appreciation for the presence of the Deputy Minister, who was also a student activist at UMSU’s Faculty of Economics and Business in 1997.
“Many alumni and former student activists have succeeded in various fields. This is what led to his national-level appointment as Deputy Minister in President Prabowo’s cabinet today,” he said.
He also shared updates regarding the development of UMSU’s integrated campus in Sampali, Percut Sei Tuan, which is targeted for completion by 2027.
“We are currently developing the Integrated Campus in Sampali. The Deputy Minister will have the opportunity to visit and provide input, as the site will become the venue for the Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah Congress,” he explained.
Prof. Agussani added that creativity and innovation are highly appreciated at UMSU.
“We hope the Deputy Minister can provide motivation, especially since we have PUSKIBI and various MSME products,” he added.
UMSU Rector Akrim also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to supporting the Astacita program of President Prabowo, including the development of Red-and-White Cooperatives.
“Thank you, Mr. Deputy Minister, for the insightful presentation on prosperous villages free from poverty. One of the solutions is building strong cooperatives. UMSU is committed to supporting the President’s Astacita program through initiatives such as this,” he said.
He added that the UMSU academic community showed strong enthusiasm for the village empowerment initiative.
“UMSU’s curiosity about this program has been answered, and the enthusiasm is clearly visible. We encourage our alumni to take an active role in this initiative, and let us support it together,” he concluded.
Visit to the Integrated Campus
In addition to delivering the public lecture, Deputy Minister Panel Barus, together with North Sumatra DPRD member Defri Noval Pasaribu and several alumni, visited the construction site of the auditorium 
and sports hall at the UMSU Integrated Campus in Saintus Village, Percut Sei Tuan District, Deli Serdang.
Panel Barus expressed his admiration for the development of the 7,000-seat auditorium and the sports hall with a capacity of 2,500 people. According to him, the construction of facilities that will later serve as the venue for the 2027 Muhammadiyah Congress demonstrates UMSU’s continuous transformation as a higher education institution committed to producing outstanding human resources.
A similar sentiment was shared by North Sumatra DPRD member Defri Noval Pasaribu, who stated that, as a Muhammadiyah cadre, he felt proud of UMSU’s rapid development.
During the visit, Chairman of the UMSU Board of Trustees Agussani explained the history of the integrated campus land acquisition and presented updates on the campus development progress, including its supporting facilities.
