ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA AT THE ANNUAL SESSION OF THE PEOPLES CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA 2016
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
May peace and prosperity be bestowed upon us all,
Om Swastiastu, Namo Buddhaya.
Beloved People of Indonesia, from Sabang to Merauke, from Miangas to Rote;
Honourable Speaker, Vice Speakers, and Members of the Peoples Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia;
Esteemed Heads, Deputy Heads, and Members of State Institutions;
Distinguished Ministers and Heads of Non-Ministerial Government Institutions;
Distinguished Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri, the Fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia;
Distinguished Bapak Try Sutrisno and Bapak Hamzah Haz;
Distinguished Bapak Boediono and Ibu Herawati Boediono;
Distinguished Ibu Shinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid;
Excellencies, Ambassadors of Friendly Countries and Heads of Representatives of International Boards and Organizations;
My Fellow Countrymen,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let us together express our gratitude to God the Almighty, for His blessings and compassion, we are able to attend the Annual Session of the Peoples Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia.
Before this honourable session, I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all State Institutions for their good mutual cooperation, togetherness, and collaboration that have accelerated our efforts to implement the Peoples Mandate.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
To date, we are entering into an extremely severe and fierce competition. In order to win the competition and to be a winning nation, we need to be confident to leave our comfort zone. We have to be creative, optimistic, helping each other, and make some breakthroughs in order to accelerate national development and improve competitiveness.
Without the courage to leave the comfort zone, we would be trapped in poverty, unemployment, inequality and social gap. We need some breakthrough measures, fast work, as well as powerful and effective State Institutions to overcome those three main problems.
In addition, we need to firmly uphold the nations ideology, the state Constitution, and principles of the nations principal values. Short of this, the grandeur of our nation would fade away and would not live in the course of history. We do not want it to happen! We do not want it to happen!
We appreciate the efforts made by the Peoples Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia to continue to intensify dissemination, studies, absorption of public aspiration on the implementation of the values of Pancasila (the Five Principles), the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and the state motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).
We also welcome a great idea offered by the Assembly to review the system of long-term national development planning. In the era of global competition today, we hope that such a review will support a more integrated, future-oriented, and sustainable development planning .
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
We also express appreciation to the House of the Representatives for having firmly upheld the mandate of the 1945 Constitution to carry out legislative, budgeting, and monitoring functions.
In performing legislative functions, we realise that it is not only important have many bills passed into laws, but what is also taken into account is the quality and the benefit of the laws for the people.
This year, the House, together with the Government, has finalised 10 Bills to be enacted as Laws, among others, Law on Public Housing Savings that will ensure the efforts to meet the peoples needs for decent and affordable housing; Law on Tax Amnesty that will support the source of revenues; and Law on Protection and Empowerment of Fishermen, Fish Farmers, and Salt Farmers as part of an effort to promote farmers welfare and maritime sector in the Homeland.
In carrying out the functions of budgeting, the House and the Government are currently deliberating a Bill on the State Budget for the 2017 Fiscal Year and a Bill on the Accountability for the Expenditure of the State Budget for the 2015 Fiscal Year. The House of Representatives and the Government are committed to ensuring that the 2017 budget is perfectly drafted for the sake of improving the peoples welfare. The budget must follow priority programmes and may no longer be merely equitably distributed to working units.
Furthermore, in carrying out monitoring functions, the House has encouraged the optimisation of auditing by the Audit Board of Indonesia, and the optimisation of the role of the House Commissions and Members. The House has also conducted fit and proper tests for the state officials proposed by the Government. Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah, in the last few months, we managed to install the Chief of Indonesian National Police, the Commissioners of the Corruption Eradication Commission, and the Head of Indonesian Ombudsman.
Distinguished Guests,
The quality of the development expenditures constitutes as the duty and the function of the Audit Board of Indonesia. Since 2015, the Audit Board has set the Government Accounting Standards on an accrual basis in Government financial statements.
For more than a year since the implementation of the standards, the information concerning the accountability of the State Budget expenditures in Government financial statement has been presented in a more transparent and accountable manner.
The Audit Board has paid attention to and place a high priority in the auditing of programmes that enhance the peoples welfare. The audit results are expected to be useful for representative bodies and government institutions, as well as for other stakeholders in order to decision making according to respective duty and authority to achieve the states goals.
Distinguished Guests,
In concert with the efforts of the state to achieve regional aspirations, the Regional Representatives Council has strengthened its role, duty, and function pursuant to the constitutional mandate.
The Council has actively participated in the formulation of various government policies regarding the quality improvement of regional head elections, the acceleration of the development of the state boundaries, and social protection. The Council has not only participated in supporting the development of creative economy but also in the settlement to issues with regard to violence against children and adolescents.
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Council for their commitment and support for the tax amnesty policy, for the strengtherning of Regional Development Banks, and for developing cooperatives.
Honourable Speaker and Members of the Peoples Consultative Assembly,
In an effort to accelerate consolidation of democracy based on justice, we thank the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the Judicial Commission for their continued strengthening of their performance.
The Supreme Court recorded the highest number of cases resolved in its history in 2015 and recorded the lowest number of unsettled cases ever, indicating that the Supreme Court had managed to reduce the number of unresolved cases.
In terms of time limit, the Supreme Court had rulled on approximately 12 thousand cases, or 82 percent of which had been successfully decided within the required time limit, less than three months. Currently, information on some 1.8 million verdicts from the First Court of Instance up to the Cassation level and Judicial Review is available online on the website of the Supreme Court.
Besides, information on the handling of cases at the district courts and appellate courts within four judicial environments across Indonesia and the Supreme Court is accessible on the website of the respective court, thus, providing the public with broader access to the proceedings in the courts. In the meantime, an information technology-based database has also been developed to realise Integrated Criminal Justice System.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Other than the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court has also performed well in handling cases in compliance with standards. In the period of August 2015 to July 2016, the Constitutional Court has received 244 requests for constitutional cases, 92 of which are cases of judicial review, one related to dispute over constitutional competence between state institutions, and 151 disputes about electoral results for Governors, Regents, and Mayors.
In regards to the judicial review cases, the Constitutional Court has handed down a new legal policy that is certain, proper, and just. Meanwhile, regarding disputes over the results of simultaneous gubernatorial, regent, and mayoral elections, the Constitutional Court has ruled on 151 out of 268 cases of regional elections. In the future, the Constitutional Court will initiate the expansion of technology application in the trial and ruling on court cases.
My Fellow Countrymen,
The Judicial Commission has also worked hard in carrying out its duty and function in safeguarding and upholding the honour, nobleness, dignity, and behaviour of judges including, improving the quality of the selection of Supreme Court Judges.
Until the first semester of 2016, the Judicial Commission had selected 5 candidates of Supreme Court Judges and 2 candidates of ad hoc judges for corruption cases. And as a commitment to supporting justice reform and developing a dignified legal culture, the Judicial Commission shall impose strict sanctions against judges found to have committed serious violations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In concluding this remarks, I would like to invite the heads and members of the state institutions to continually work in synergy with one another, to always listen to public criticism, and to keep improving ourselves so that our institution will gain increasing trust from the public.
Let us make the 71st anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia as a source of inspiration to win the competition, to advance humanity,and to achieve shared aspirations for an advanced Indonesia.
Long live the Republic of Indonesia!
Long live the Motherland of Pancasila!
I thank you,
Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om,
Namo Buddhaya.
Jakarta, 16 August 2016
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA,
JOKO WIDODO