Gustika Jusuf-Hatta links Labuan Bajo travel to Indonesia’s literacy push

Labuan Bajo — Researcher and social-issues activist Gustika Jusuf-Hatta recently used a story from a past holiday in Labuan Bajo to illustrate how reading and critical thinking can travel with people, even when they are far from an internet connection.

Gustika was one of the speakers at a “Pesta Literasi Indonesia 2026” discussion hosted at Gramedia Jalma Pandanaran in Semarang on Saturday, 12 September 2026, an event presented by publisher Gramedia Pustaka Utama as part of a national literacy campaign. She appeared alongside writer A. Fuadi, legal scholar Zainal Arifin Mochtar and editor Andi Tarigan in a session focused on strengthening reading culture and civic awareness.

Event organizers introduced Gustika as a researcher and activist working on social and human-rights issues, and as part of a generation encouraged to help “take care of the republic” by reading critically. Public profiles describe her as a specialist in security sector reform and governance.

A holiday story used to talk about reading

During the Semarang discussion, Gustika drew on personal experiences to argue that reading should be seen as a practical necessity rather than a pastime reserved for free hours. She linked this position to the volume of information circulating in Indonesia’s digital environment and the need for citizens to engage with it carefully.

Event coverage and promotional material highlight her message that people may not all enjoy reading, but they still need to be able to read and understand information effectively. She stressed that this skill is central to navigating public debate, misinformation and complex policies, echoing earlier appearances where she spoke about human rights and democratic participation.

In the Semarang forum and related content, she encouraged audiences to treat reading as a way to build curiosity and the habit of questioning information, rather than simply collecting facts. That approach, she argued, should be cultivated through both formal education and family life, so that the responsibility for literacy is shared across generations.

Literacy, connectivity and travel

The Gramedia Jalma event formed part of a broader series designed to present bookshops as cultural hubs where people can read, discuss and create together. Organizers framed the 2026 literacy roadshow as an effort to strengthen critical reading in several cities, with Semarang as one of the opening stops.

Open-trip sailing packages to Komodo and Labuan Bajo, which have become popular among young travelers, typically involve multi-day boat journeys with limited mobile data coverage. Providers describe these trips as a chance to enjoy island scenery and snorkeling while sharing space with other participants. For travelers who bring books, such conditions can also create rare stretches of time away from constant online notifications.

Gustika’s comments at the Semarang discussion fit into that wider picture of how Indonesians — including visitors to Labuan Bajo and the Komodo National Park area — negotiate attention between landscape, screens and printed pages. Her emphasis on deep reading and verification reflects concerns that high-speed connectivity and social media can encourage people to skim or share information without fully understanding it.

She argued that addressing this challenge requires more than individual enthusiasm for books. According to the discussion materials and coverage, she called for systematic efforts to embed reading and comprehension into curricula and public initiatives, so that critical literacy becomes a basic capability across society, not only among self-described book lovers.

Key facts from the Semarang event

• Speaker: Gustika Jusuf-Hatta, researcher and activist on social and governance issues.
• Program: Pesta Literasi Indonesia 2026, a national literacy series led by Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
• Format: Book launch, discussion and music performance at Gramedia Jalma Pandanaran.
• Location: Gramedia Jalma Pandanaran, Semarang, Central Java.
• Date: Saturday, 12 September 2026, around midday to late afternoon.

Sources

• RRI Semarang – photo report on Pesta Literasi Indonesia 2026
• Gramedia – Pesta Literasi Indonesia 2026 Semarang event announcement
• iNews Pantura – Pesta Literasi Indonesia 2026 Menyapa Empat Kota
• Gramedia – Introducing Gramedia Jalma
• LinkedIn profile – Gustika Jusuf-Hatta
• Buibu Baca Buku – discussion featuring Gustika Jusuf-Hatta
• IndonesiaJuara – Open Trip Komodo Labuan Bajo 3D2N package
• Smiletrip – 3D2N Labuan Bajo Sailing Komodo