Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia (Through Video Conference) On the 2020 Joint Activity Program (PKB Juang) Tuesday, 28 July 2020 at the Bogor Palace, West Java Province

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good Afternoon,

May prosperity be upon us all,

Om Swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya,

Greetings of Virtue,

Distinguished Minister of State Secretary;

Distinguished Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces, Chief of the Indonesian National Police, Commander of The Indonesian National Defense Forces Command and General Staff College, Head of The Indonesian National Police Command and Staff Academy;

The officers, students of The Indonesian National Defense Forces Command and General Staff College, The Indonesian National Police Command and Staff Academy, and The Indonesian National Police Staff and Middle-Rank Officers Academy;

Ladies and gentlemen.

We are aware that today we are facing a very tough situation in the forms of a health crisis as well as an economic crisis. It happens not only in our country, Indonesia, but also in 215 countries around the globe. It is indeed a very tough situation for us.

Four months ago, the IMF Managing Director, Mrs. Kristalina, told me that global economic growth would be at minus 2.5 (percent). A month after that, the World Bank also told us that the global economic growth will be minus 5 percent, whereas previously it was still minus 2.5 percent. Under normal circumstances, the position is 3 to 3.5 percent, but three weeks ago, the OECD said that the global economy would contract and be at minus 6 percent to minus 7.6 percent by 2020. I don’t know if it will get worse because the situation is very dynamic.

The prediction of economic growth for the countries is also changing. The IMF Managing Director told us that Indonesia is in the top three (countries) with the best (economic growth). The top three are China, predicted to grow at 1.9 percent, India, predicted to grow at 1.2 percent, and Indonesia, predicted to grow at 0.5 percent. But with the tougher situation, we have not got the latest figures related to the position of our country and its economic growth in 2020. I need to inform you about the prediction of economic contraction in other countries. France for example, is estimated to have minus 17.2 (percent) growth; The UK is estimated to have minus 15.4 (percent) growth; Germany is estimated to have minus 11.2 (percent) growth; United States of America is estimated to have minus 9.7 (percent) growth; and other countries are in the same position, minus, minus, minus.

The point is that we must be aware that the situation has affected global geopolitics. We must be aware about the latest issues on the South China Sea and China-America relation. Of course we will continue to do measures to solve the COVID-19 problems and also the economic problems that occur in our country, but we must gain the momentum, we must gain the momentum. I have previously said that we need new ways of working. We need a new culture and we need to work faster. We must also dare to make shortcuts and breakthroughs to speed up our work. I have also previously said that in the past, a big nation would beat a small nation, but today and in the future, it will be the fast beating the slow. That is, the fast will win.

That is the problem and we must change it. We have too many rules and too many procedures when in fact we can make it simple. We have too much bureaucracy. Once again, we are trapped by the rules that we make. We, including the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri), must overcome the problems. And all of you will be at the forefront of the fight because you will become the leaders of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri).

To that end, I invite all of you, the students of The Indonesian National Defense Forces Command and General Staff College, The Indonesian National Police Command and Staff Academy, and The Indonesian National Police Staff and Middle-Rank Officers Academy, to be brave in the future to give a new nuance, new different ideas, and to find new ways. We must encourage our subordinates to work faster, to take the shortcut, the smart-shortcut, and take the goal-oriented measures to achieve the goals that we can see and we can calculate. Of course, even in normal conditions, the way we work must still be results-oriented, must be fast and efficient, because in the future, it is the fast that will win the competition. Moreover, we are now facing a difficult situation in the forms of health crisis and economic crisis.

In dealing with the tough situation, we must dare to change the channel, from ordinary channels to extraordinary channels, from complicated channels, complicated ways, to the fast ways, simple ways, and from the normal SOP to the shortcut SOP. We can’t do business as usual, and if we can change the channel to the extraordinary channel, we will win the competition with other countries.

I also invite the students of of The Indonesian National Defense Forces Command and General Staff College, The Indonesian National Police Command and Staff Academy, and The Indonesian National Police Staff and Middle-Rank Officers Academy, to safeguard several urgent and important programs for the country, to safeguard changes in new ways of working. I have previously said that we must change the complicated and the slow to the fast, we must change complicated rules and regulations to simple regulations, and we must change the complicated SOP to the fast and simple SOP. If we can do that, I believe that we can get through this difficult situation and we will have a new culture in the normal situation. We hope that next year our life will get back to the normal, the economy will recover, the vaccine will be discovered, and mass vaccinations can be carried out to all the people in our country.

I think that concludes my remarks on this auspicious occasion. You are “the face of the nation” and I also hope that you become “the face of the Government”.  Good luck with your duty.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om,

Namo Buddhaya.

Translated by Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by Lulu Wuliarti