Chairman of LAMR Riau: Culture Must Become the Moral Foundation of National Energy Security

PEKANBARU – The Riau Malay Customary Institution (LAMR) asserted that the success of maintaining national energy security must not rely solely on technological sophistication and economic policies. Culture is deemed to play a crucial role as a moral compass for society in managing and utilizing natural wealth sustainably.

This view was presented by the General Chairman of the Executive Board (DPH) of LAMR, Datuk Seri H. Taufik Ikram Jamil, during a public lecture before around 170 student officers and instructors of the 65th batch of the Air Force Staff and Command School (Seskoau). The public lecture, titled "Culture-Based Energy Security: A Perspective from Riau," was held at the Tenas Effendy Hall, LAMR Riau Customary Hall, on Monday (27/7/2026).

In his presentation, Taufik highlighted that amidst the rapid flow of the global energy transition and green energy campaigns, the cultural aspect is often marginalized. In fact, human perception of nature highly determines whether those resources will bring prosperity or trigger ecological disasters.

Taufik linked this view with the concept of Asta Gatra in Indonesia's National Resilience system, where socio-cultural aspects serve as a vital pillar of strength. Without a strong cultural foundation, excessive exploitation of nature is hard to avoid. Conversely, a preserved culture will foster moral responsibility to maintain ecological balance for future generations.

As concrete evidence of Riau's local wisdom, he introduced the traditional concept of "Tapak Lapan". This ancestral knowledge system guides the Malay community to diversify their livelihoods so they do not rely on just one sector, and to adopt sustainability principles reflected in the proverb "eating without exhausting, drinking without drying up."

Through the integration of Malay Culture into the national education curriculum (Dapodik), LAMR continues to preserve these values of environmental concern. At the end of the session, Taufik invited the Air Force to synergize in formulating a culture-based energy security concept to strengthen national defense.