Introduction of President of the Republic of Indonesia H.E. Joko Widodo at the Limited Meeting on Evaluation of the Downstream of Mineral and Coal Mining, on 22 March 2017, at the Presidents Office, Jakarta
Unofficial English Translation
Good afternoon,
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Peace and prosperity be upon us all.
Todays Limited Meeting will discuss an evaluation of the downstream of mineral and coal mining.
Why is it important to discuss? Because in my opinion, the era of selling natural resources has ended and we must stop selling raw materials. We must change this paradigm of mineral and coal as commodities and use them to create added value in our national economy.
That is what I see in developed countries. They dare to make the leap from being a commodity-selling country to ones that strengthen its manufacturing industries. We must do the same, and even other countries do it faster by transforming into service industry countries.
Therefore, we have to stay focused on the development of downstream industries, particularly the downstream of mineral and coal mining.
And we want to move at a fast pace. Speed is very important because other countries are also moving very quickly. I request that any problems and obstacles regarding the downstream development, mainly in the downstream of mineral and coal mining be resolved immediately. If there are regulatory obstacles such as regulations that overlapped with licensing, I also ask this to be resolved as soon as possible. Because I understand that in order to develop the downstream of mining industries, business also requires certainty, that is, guarantee for long-term operation. And if necessary, please provide additional incentives for companies that develop the downstream industries.
I want to emphasize that downstream industries could be accelerated if supported by the readiness of the lands, territories, supply of raw materials, skilled labor, electricity, infrastructure, transportation, seaports, and other infrastructures.
To that end, the development of downstream of mineral and coal industries should be rigorously carried out integrated with the development of the Special Economic Zones, in which the necessary infrastructure is already provided.
The preparation of a skilled labor through education and vocational training should also be carried out massively.
I believe with an integrated development, mineral and coal manufacturing industries will grow even faster and provide added value not only in the absorption of manpower but also create a more equitable development.
That is all the introduction. (PR Cabinet Secretariat) (MUR/AW/YM/Naster)