President Jokowi: Unemployment Rate Decreased to 5.13%, Gini Ratio to 0.389

President Jokowi bows to audience before delivering his speech at the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic Indonesia 2018 on Thursday (8/16. (Photo by: Oji/Public Relations).

In another part of his speech at the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic Indonesia 2018 on Thursday (8/16), President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo stated that for almost four years, the Government has struggled to recover people’s trust through the real work of developing the country from Sabang to Merauke, from Miangas to Rote Island, in an even and just manner.

“We want the people in the border areas, in the outermost islands, and in the underdeveloped areas to feel the presence of the State of the Republic of Indonesia,” the President said.

The President said that since the first year of the administration, the Government has built a strong foundation leading to a more developed Indonesia. Therefore, the President continued, the Government focuses on the acceleration of infrastructure development and the improvement of the nation’s productivity and competitiveness.

President Jokowi asserted that the acceleration of infrastructure development is not only intended to catch up on the lag in infrastructure development compared to other countries,  but  it  is also meant  to generate new economic centers that are able to offer added values for the regions throughout the country.

“That is why infrastructure is not only being developed in Java, but also developed on the Island of Sumatra, the Island of Kalimantan, the Island of Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands, and the Nusa Tenggara Islands, to the Land of Papua,” the President said.

However, President Jokowi emphasized that the Government’s focus in the last four years has not only been on infrastructure development. As a country with a population of nearly 260 million, the Government prepares Indonesian people to become excellent human beings, from the time of being a fetus in the womb to becoming an independent individual.

The Government, the President continued, works to ensure that every Indonesian child is born healthy and grows with adequate nutrition, and free from stunting. As they enter school age, it is hoped that no children, including the orphans, are to drop out of school because they cannot afford education.

“This commitment is materialized through the distribution of the Smart Indonesia Card which in 2017, which has reached more than 20 million students, as well as the expansion in the distribution of the Bidik Misi (Targeted Mission) scholarship program for college students,” President Jokowi said.

With regards to provide social protection for underprivileged citizens, the President said, the Government has gradually increased the number of National Health Insurance (JKN) Recipients from 86.4 million people in 2014 to 92.4 million people in May 2018.

The President expressed his happiness that what the Government has done has paid off.  The quality of Indonesian human life in the past four years has continued to improve. “The Indonesia’s Human Development Index has increased from 68.90 in 2014 to 70.81 in 2017. With that result, Indonesia has entered High Human Development category,” the President said.

President Jokowi stressed that the Government did not stop working. The Government wants Indonesian people to be prosperous. Therefore, education is an important ladder for Indonesian people to achieve better prosperity.

Therefore, the President explained that in the past four years, the Government focused on strengthening vocational education and trainings to create skilled human resources who are ready to enter the workforce.

In addition, the Government continues to encourage higher education to make breakthroughs, so that university graduates can be more adaptive in the 4.0 Industrial Revolution era, and able to create more creative and innovative young entrepreneurs.

President Jokowi acknowledged that the rapid growth of productive generation requires the Government to work harder to create and open new employment through increased competitiveness of investment and exports.

The President also mentioned that in the past four years, the Government has carried out a major overhaul of the climate of Indonesia’s ease of doing business. The primary goal is to make national economy more productive and competitive, while continuing to improve the nation’s self-sufficiency, so that it can provide added value, particularly by opening new jobs and absorbing unemployment.

“Alhamdulillah, (praise to God), through collective hard work, the open unemployment rate has decreased from 5.70 percent to 5.13 percent,” President Jokowi said.

Meanwhile, to achieve welfare, the President emphasized that the Government does not only focus on large industries but also on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as 40 percent of those living in the lowest level.

To target those 40 percent of people, the President continued, the Government is running the Agrarian Reform and Social Forestry reform as well as creating a better access to capital for MSMEs.

Meanwhile, to promote the development of MSMEs, the Government has cut final income tax for MSMEs at 0.5 percent, and extensified Smallholder Business Credit (KUR) that can be enjoyed by 12.3 million MSMEs.

In addition, to ensure social security, the Government distributing the Family Hope Program (PKH) to 10 million targeted beneficiaries, as well as reforming the food aid system into a cashless aid program to make it right on target, and with a larger number of beneficiaries of 15.6 families in 2019.

“With real works, we are lowering and have successfully lowered the Gini Ratio which is an indicator of income inequality from 0.406 to 0.389,” President Jokowi said.

As a big nation with strong social capitals, President Jokowi express his believes that the Government will be able to take on all challenges, however tough they are.

“From the Land of Minang, together we learn that: ‘Barek samo dipikua, ringan samo dijinjiang’. Many hands make light work. From the Land of Pasundan, together we learn that: ‘Sacangreud pageuh, sagolek pangkek’. We need to work together with commitment and consistency. From the Land of Anging Mamiri, together we learn that: ‘Reso temma-ngingi, nama-lomo, nale-tei, pammase dewata’. We should join hands to work hard with sincerity and make a prayer so that we will attain our aim. Form the Land of Gora, we learn that: ‘Bareng bejukung, bareng bebose’. We work together and we will enjoy the results of our labour. From the Land of Banua Banjar, together we learn that: ‘Waja sampai kaputing’. We work together vigorously, never surrendering, never giving up,” President Jokowi concluded his speech.

Also attending the event were First Lady Ibu Iriana Joko Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla with his spouse Ibu Mufidah Jusuf Kalla, speakers and members of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic Indonesia, chairpersons and vice chairpersons of State Institutions, ministers of the Working Cabinet and heads of a Non-Ministerial Institutions, the Third President of the Republic of Indonesia B.J. Habibie, the Fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the Sixth Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia Try Sutrisno and the Eleventh Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia Boediono. (GUN/DNA/AGG/OJI/ES) (GWH/MMB/Naster)