Introductory Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at Commemoration of Constitution Day of 2023, at Nusantara Building, the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Compound, Senayan, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, August 18, 2023
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Good afternoon,
May peace be upon us all,
Om swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greeting of virtue.
Honorable Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR RI) Bapak Doctor Haji Bambang Soesatyo, and Vice Speakers of MPR,
Honorable Heads of State Institutions, Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI), Chief of the Constitutional Court, Chief of the Judicial Court;
Honorable Ministers of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet, Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces, Deputy Chief of the Indonesian National Police,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, on behalf of the Government, nation, and state, I would like to wish a Happy Constitution Day and Happy 78th Anniversary to the MPR RI. This commemoration is a strategic momentum to discuss the nation’s strategy in achieving our vision amidst the current global situation that is unpredictable and full of certainty.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
We often express our hope to develop a just and prosperous community. We want to be a develop country; we want to be a prosperous country. All of those visions are perfect. Still, we have to use a precise benchmark to execute it; that is my opinion. What is the benchmark to be fair and prosper? What is the benchmark to realize a develop country, a prosperous country? Is it per capita income or human development index or unemployment rate or poverty rate or all of them? If visions are not coupled with benchmark, it will be a mere political jargon. A political jargon. We cannot define it; we cannot explain the strategy, we cannot draw up the measures. So, it will be extremely hard to realize it.
What I want to say is we should not let our big vision only become a mere political jargon; only become a normative statement, or flattering words that are only nice to be heard. Don’t let it be a dream without realizing it. The big vision should be down-to-earth, tactic, have clear benchmark, strategy, technical strategy, measures, target, and the like. This is really important so that our people understand the direction and objectives of our nation, and they could participate and have a sense of belonging.
Honorable Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We must draw up main and technical strategies. In a bid to achieve our vision, it could be in form of the State Policy Guidelines (Pokok-Pokok Haluan Negara/PPHN), as often mentioned by Speaker of the MPR. Nevertheless, I would like to stress on one thing, we must be agile because the present world is so dynamic. Challenges and opportunities also change rapidly every day, every hour. Thus, flexibility is highly important.
Don’t make regulations that will hinder us. Don’t get stuck in our own trap that will stop us to move forward. Give freedom to the executive [power] to be more agile in addressing changes and uncertainties; yet, it should be given under strict supervision. In my opinion, regulations should provide room for flexibility so we can move fast to seize opportunities and win the competition with other countries.
In this competition, we must be better than our competitors, with other countries if we want to win the competition. We cannot only focus on ourselves or become self-complacent. That will be dangerous. We must see our neighbors. We must be better than other countries. We see the competitors and decide what we must do; we must draw up our measures. We must learn from other countries and be more adaptive. If our competitors improve a policy, we must do it too. In fact, our policy must be better than them. Once again, flexibility is important.
I heard many people questioning incentives the Government provides to electric vehicles since the budget is large. If I’m not mistaken, the subsidy of Rp7 million is given to electric motorcycle and Rp70 million to electric car. Why we do this? Because other countries do that too. For example, Thailand also provides subsidy for electric car [around] Rp68 [million]. If our figure is lower than that, all investment will go to Thailand, not Indonesia. This is an example of a tough competition.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
That concludes my remarks in this auspicious occasion. Once again, I wish you all a Happy Constitution Day and Happy 78th Anniversary to the MPR RI. I hope the future Indonesia, with help from all communities, can be what we aspire to be.
I thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
(RAS/MMB)