Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the 2020 Made in Indonesia Awarding Ceremony (virtually), Sunday, 6 December 2020 From the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

May peace be upon us all,

Om Swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya,

Greetings of Virtue.

Distinguished Ministers of Indonesia Onward Cabinet;

Indonesian creative industry players that I am proud of;

Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed guests.

Indonesia constitutes the world’s fourth-largest archipelagic country with a total population of 270 million. With a large number of population and a constant increase in the purchasing power, Indonesia has a potential for the enormous market and promising market power. However, do net let other countries exploit our market great potential.

We must make use of this huge market potential to improve domestic industry. We must make good use of our market to accelerate industrialization, produce local products, and provide job opportunities. We should not only become consumers or the target market for other countries’ products, while we have great local products. Many youths are able to produce great works, particularly in the creative industry, such as fashion, culinary, crafts, films, music, animation, games, and so on.

Therefore, on this auspicious occasion, I call on all components of the nation to seize this moment to strengthen domestic industry and national creative industry. We will continue to improve the business ecosystem for creative industry players. We must provide more opportunities for domestic industries to be more developed. We must continue to bring out hidden potentials in order to show and enrich the variety of unique Indonesian creation.

Esteemed Guests,

I am aware that during the pandemic, offline trade transaction saw a steep drop, while online transaction has increased quite significantly. Do not let imported products purchase dominate online trade. Do not let global creative industry players widely use the existing marketplace. We have to change it. Indonesian MSME products must be the host in their own country. They must crowd the marketplace with quality and competitive products. Through the digital transformation acceleration program, the national creative industry should seize the global market opportunities, be able to compete with other countries, and become Indonesia’s ambassador and branding in the international community.

Creative industry players that I am proud of,

The love of 270 million Indonesians for domestic products is the key. If 270 million Indonesians are proud to love, buy, and use Indonesian-made products, it will help reduce the current account deficit, and the national creative industry will develop rapidly. This will also bring a huge impact on the country’s economy. A long supply chain is expected to open derivative industries, especially the MSME sector, as well as provide more job opportunities and contribute to the acceleration of national economic recovery.

This Made in Indonesia Movement must be coupled with an improvement in quality and competitiveness of domestic products. The two movements must be carried out hand in hand through the development of an ecosystem and a sense of confidence as a great nation that loves their country.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate the winners of the 2020 Made in Indonesia Award. Keep up the good works to produce other masterpieces that can make the country proud.

I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Translated by Syarifah Aisyah
Reviewed by Muhardi