President Jokowi Attends Inauguration of GP Ansor’s Executive Board

President Joko Widodo attends the inauguration of “Towards the Future Ansor” event, at Istora Senayan in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Jakarta, Monday (05/27). (Photo by: Bureau of Press, Media and Information (BPMI) of the Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the inauguration of an event titled “Towards the Future Ansor”, at Istora Senayan in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex , Jakarta, Monday (05/27). In this event, President Jokowi also inaugurated the Executive Board of Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor, an Indonesian Islamic youth organization) for the 2024-2029 period.

In his remarks, President Jokowi expressed his gratitude for Indonesia’s stable economic condition amidst global crises.

“We should be grateful for a truly extraordinary gift from Allah. We have been able to face various crises in the world at a time when so many countries become patients of the IMF (International Monetary Fund),” said the President.

The President said that more than 96 countries currently become the IMF’s patients. “And if we look at the ranks of the big G20 countries, our economic growth always ranks in the top three or top five,” he continued.

President Jokowi mentioned three main issues that are of concern to countries around the world, namely money exchange rates, oil prices and loan interest rate.

Firstly, the President highlighted the importance of the stability of the Rupiah exchange rate against world currencies, especially the US Dollar, because it influences price increase. “The first issue is related to the exchange rate. In Indonesia, which one is stronger, Rupiah or the US Dollar? Once the US Dollar strengthens, be careful, prices will rise. But if Rupiah strengthens, the prices of goods, especially imported ones, will be much cheaper.”

The second issue is related to the global impact of rising world oil prices. “Secondly, oil prices. Be careful, the war in Palestine that involves Iran also worries the world, so oil prices rise.”

The Head of State said that the world’s geopolitical situation cannot be underestimated because it intersects with other things. Wars in Palestine or in Ukraine, which occur in distant locations, could also have an impact on Indonesia. “It seems that the war in Palestine doesn’t have anything to do with Indonesia which location is far away. But it does. If oil prices go up, all goods’ prices will go up too.”

Similarly, the war between Ukraine and Russia, he continued, also caused the prices of wheat and its processed products to soar high. “The war is taking place in a very faraway location but its influence can reach everywhere. That’s geopolitics. If we don’t take any measures, it could cause price increase.”

The third issue that all countries worry about is loan interest because all countries in the world have loans.

For this reason, President Jokowi emphasized the importance of maintaining political stability to achieve a Golden Indonesia 2045. “In my opinion, the most important is how we can prevent political turbulence from occurring. We maintain everything to ensure political stability because that is the key to development in any country. If we cannot maintain this, economic damage will happen again. Therefore, I warn the party leaders present here that in the future, once again, political stability is very important.”

Therefore, he added, equitable development, industry downstreaming, pro-community programs, transformation towards a green economy that have been carried out by the Government must be kept sustainable.

In his remarks, the President also expressed his appreciation to Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor) for upholding the spirit of unity and never giving up as implied in the GP Ansor’s Marching Song. “When I heard the GP Ansor’s Marching Song earlier, I really got goosebumps. When Ansor make a major step forward, they can overcome a thousand obstacles. This is the spirit that GP Ansor must continue to uphold, the spirit of unity and the spirit of never giving up in maintaining the national knot and in maintaining hubbul wathon minal iman (an Arabic phrase meaning “loving one’s own country is part of faith).”

Ending his remarks, President Jokowi congratulated the new management of GP Ansor. “Finally, to all the new management of GP Ansor, I wish you success in your job and your work. I believe that the new leadership at GP Ansor will always serve as the knot that holds the nation together towards the Golden Indonesia that we aspire to,” he concluded. (FID/ABD)