President Jokowi : Infrastructure Development Must be Accompanied with Work Ethic

President Jokowi in a launching of investement program and the inauguration of a factory in Wonogiri, Central Java (22/1)

Infrastructure development is a key for Indonesian people to enter competition era. However, infrastructure development must be accompanied with the improvement of work ethic, because without it, Indonesia will be left behind by other countries.

When delivering the remarks on the Launching of Third Stage of Investment Program to Create Job Opportunities, in Ketonggo Hamlet, Kerjo Lor Village, Ngadirejo Sub District, Wonogiri Regency, Central Java, on Friday (22/1) afternoon, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asserted that the preparedness of infrastructure will boost productivity and competitiveness.

“With infrastructure, the efficiency will be improved because the price of goods will be cheaper.  Transportation and logistic costs will be cheaper as well,” President Jokowi said.

Therefore, the President added, since last year, the Government has started infrastructure development in several areas in Indonesia, for example Trans Sumatra Toll Road, and Kuala Tanjung Seaport in North Sumatra.

However, President Jokowi reminded all that infrastructure development must be accompanied with the improvement of work ethic, because without it Indonesia will be left behind by other countries.

“De-industrialization will occur, people are not going to enter Indonesian industry. They rather choose Vietnam, Myanmar, and other countries because they are more efficient, more competitive, have more skills and work ethic of human resources,” President Jokowi said while reminding all that Indonesia must fix and improve the work ethic.

The President asserted that there is no other way if we want to survive, we must win the competition.

On the opportunity, President Jokowi also reminded that improvement in work ethic must be performed in the Government, where the President determined to abolish permits that need months or years to finish. “I want the permit to be done in hours,” President said.

According to President Jokowi, the Government is now focus on cutting permits quantity in order to improve the ease of doing business in Indonesia. For the record, Indonesia is now on rank 109 from 189 in ease of doing business.

“The ranking from years to years is fluctuative between 110-120. Sometimes the rank rises or falls a bit. I do not want it, I want us to be in rank 40 (in ease of doing business),” the President firmly said while reminding that the target he has set has been calculated carefully, not randomly.

The President ordered to cut the problematic and complicated regulations. The President said that currently there are 42,000 regulations and 3,000 regional regulations.

“The regulations that give hardship to the people and complicated must be abolished, there is no reason to study it,” the President said.

In the working visit to Wonogiri, Central Java, President Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of Industry Saleh Husin, Minister of Research and Technology and Higher Education M Nasir, Presidential Chief of Staffs Teten Masduki, Deputy Minister of Finance Mardiasmo, and the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo. Also attending the event was South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Cho Taiyoung.  (DID/UN/ES) (RAS/MMD/YM/Naster)