Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Inauguration Event “Towards the Future Ansor”, at Istora Senayan, Bung Karno Sports Stadium Complex, Jakarta Special Capital Region, May 27, 2024

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamin, washalatu wasalamu ‘ala asrafil ambiya’i wal mursalin, sayyidina wa habibina wa syafiina wa maulana Muhammadin, wa ‘alaalihi wasahbihi ajma’in. Amma ba’du.

[Islamic greetings expressed in Arabic, usually delivered for opening a mass meeting]

Distinguished Honorable Rais ‘Aam PBNU (General Leader of PBNU, Indonesia’s largest Islamic mass organization) Father Kiai Haji Miftachul Akhyar;

Distinguished Honorable Katib ‘Aam PBNU (General Secretary of PBNU) Father Kiai Haji Ahmad Said Asrori;

Distinguished heads of state institutions, Ministers of the Indonesia Onward Cabinet, Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and Chief of the Indonesian National Police;

Distinguished General Chairperson of PBNU and all staff;

Distinguished Chairperson of GP Ansor (an Indonesian Islamic youth organization), our friend Gus Addinjauharudin and all the new management;

Distinguished general chairpersons of parties, general chairpersons of youth organizations;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all GP Ansor members from all over Indonesia present here this afternoon.

One command greeting.

Who are we? The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI)! Pancasila! Aswaja (Ahlussunnah wal-Jamaa’ah)! Nusantara! Future Ansor!

I don’t want to be alone, so I asked two officers of Banser (Ansor troops) to escort me. I saw the General Chairperson of PBNU was escorted, the Chairperson of GP Ansor was escorted, so why was I left unescorted? Well, with all of us being escorted, we will look great.

Earlier, when I heard the Marching Song of GP Ansor, 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”).

I was also happy that at the time the General Chairperson of GP Ansor and all the new management were inaugurated, their profiles appeared on the screen. Some behaved like this, some others gave a salute. I was surprised to see the various ways you presented yourselves here. I don’t know what all those mean. I can only say that GP Ansor’s personnel are indeed creative. They can always find the right thing.

And, we should be grateful for the 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). More than 96 countries currently become the IMF’s patients. And, if we look at the ranks of the major G20 countries, our economic growth always ranks in the top three or top five.

Currently, there are three main issues that are of concern to countries around the world.

The first one is related to exchange rates. 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. This is what all countries fear. Recently, we were a bit horrified when the Rupiah to Dollar exchange rate jumped above Rp16,000-Rp16,200. We began to worry because exchange rates in other countries also jumped more than that. That’s the first issue, the exchange rates.

The second one is oil prices. Be careful, the war in Palestine that involves Iran also worries the world, causing oil prices to rise. What happens if oil prices rise? Don’t take it lightly. Wars in places that are far away from us can affect Indonesia. If oil prices rise because Iran’s oil production falls, what does that mean? All prices of goods will also rise. It seems that the war in Palestine doesn’t have anything to do with Indonesia which is far away. However, it does. If oil prices go up, all prices of goods will go up too.

It is also similar to the war in Ukraine. The war is taking place in Ukraine, far away from us, but the price of wheat at that time jumped by almost 50 percent because the wheat comes from Ukraine and even more wheat comes from Russia. Because of the war, they stopped exporting wheat. As for Ukraine, when I went there, I met President Zelensky, 77 million tons of wheat stocks were stuck in Ukraine while in Russia, 130 million tons of wheat stocks were stuck too, so that the prices of noodles and bread here went up. 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 increases.

Then the third issue, which is feared by all countries, is loan interest, because all countries have loans. A country is reported to have loan interest reaching up to 220 percent. I don’t need to mention the country, because I think you already know. Our neighboring country, which is close to us, is reported to have loan interest reaching 130 percent. I think you also know the country. And, when compared to other countries, we are at 39 percent, which is actually still far from the limitation that the law allows and also far from other countries’ loan interest that I’ve also mentioned earlier. This is once again something we all should be grateful for.

And, we must continue to maintain this good momentum and even continue to improve it to achieve a Golden Indonesia in 2045, about 20 years from now. The most important thing in my opinion is how we can maintain situation and prevent political turbulence. We must ensure political stability, because that is the key to development in any country. If we cannot maintain this, economic damage will occur again. Therefore, to all party leaders present here, I warn you that in the future, once again, political stability is very important.

Therefore, equitable development needs sustainability, industry downstreaming needs sustainability, community programs need sustainability, transformation towards a green economy needs sustainability, and assets recovery, such as Freeport, Newmont, Rokan (three large mining companies), also needs sustainability.

Let me tell you a little about Freeport (a copper mining company), because taking over Freeport’s shares from the original 9 percent to now 51 percent took 3.5 years and we worked quietly. Nobody knows. The takeover seemed to happen all of a sudden. And soon, God willing, in the next months we will increase our possession of shares in Freeport to 10 percent so that our shares will amount to 61 percent. If our shares in Freeport reach 61 percent, it is estimated that 70-80 percent of Freeport’s profits will go to our state treasury, in the form of royalties, corporate income tax, employee income tax, export duties, all of which will amount to a very large sum if combined together.

And once again, if we talk about Freeport, it no longer belongs to America, but it already belongs to our country, Indonesia. It’s already ours. And its takeover, I tell you, takes money. We don’t use power, but we use money. We take the money from America, we pay it to Freeport, and in four years it will definitely be paid off. God willing, this year it will be paid off. And, the price is now four times the price when we bought it, because the world price of copper has now risen so drastically. It means we can reap many profits from it. Luckily at that time, the owner wanted to let it go because of the economic shock at that time, even though many people warned me during the takeover process, “Sir, be careful, Papua could get disturbed”. The next day there was another, “Sir, be careful, Papua could break away from Indonesia.” The next day someone told me, “Sir, be careful, Indonesia will be in turmoil if Freeport is taken over by the state.” But the takeover was not carried out with state power, but with business methods. And we did it.

Likewise with Rokan (an oil and gas field in Sumatra). This week I will check Rokan again after we took it over from Chevron, America. We have taken over 100 percent of its shares, and I want to check whether we can manage it better than the foreigners, because we have two possibilities: whether it could be better or it could be worse. And, next week I will go to Rokan and I hope that the results will be better than before.

Does anyone here can recite Pancasila by heart? Because on next June 1, we will soon celebrate the birthday of Pancasila. Anyone here who can recite Pancasila by heart, please raise your hand. Yes, you, go ahead. Yes, please. Oh, it’s a lady, I’m sorry. Please. Come near me. It’s okay. Say your name.

Member of GP Ansor (Miss Suherlina from Depok)

I’m Suherlina from Depok Basada. Suherlina, Sir.

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)

Miss Suherlina from Depok.

Member of GP Ansor (Miss Suherlina from Depok)

I’m from Depok, but originally from Gresik.

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)

Recite it straight away. Pancasila, first ….

Member of GP Ansor (Miss Suherlina from Depok)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Pancasila.

First, Belief in the One and Only God;

Second, Just and Civilized Humanity;

Third, the Unity of Indonesia;

Fourth, Democratic Life Led by Wisdom of Thoughts in Deliberation amongst Representatives of the People;

Five, Social Justice for All People of Indonesia.

Thank you all friends.

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo)

Because you have recited it very clearly and loudly, I give you a bicycle. Please, take it.

Finally, to all the new GP Ansor management, I wish you success in your work and your job. I believe that the new leadership at GP Ansor will always serve as the knot that holds this nation together towards the Golden Indonesia that we aspire to. And, by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, this afternoon I hereby launch the construction of the Future Ansor Building.

I thank you.

(TM/LW)