Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Opening of Tanwir and Reception of the 112th Anniversary of Muhammadiyah at Universitas Muhammadiyah Kupang, Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara Province, December 4, 2024
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
May peace be upon us.
Shalom,
Salve,
Om swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of virtue,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would also like to greet public figures here. It does not matter to take some time, right? I have no time limit, right?
The tenth and twelfth Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Bapak H. Muhammad Jusuf Kalla and Ibu Mufidah Jusuf Kalla,
General Chair of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive, Prof. Dr. H. Haedar Nashir, along with kiai, ulemas, Central Leaders of Muhammadiyah, and all big family of Muhammadiyah whom I respect and am proud of,
General Chair of the Aisyiyah Central Executive, Ibu Salmah Orbayinah, along with Aisyiyah Administrators,
Prof. Dr. Muhadjir Effendy, General Chair of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive [2015-2020]…no period is mentioned here. After this event, Pak Teddy, come and see me,
General Chair of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive, Bapak Din Syamsuddin. Why are you sitting in the back seat… Pak Din is my friend since we were young. We are a little bit younger now,
Chairperson of the Regional House of Representatives, Bapak Sultan Najamuddin,
Minister and Vice Ministers of Merah Putih Cabinet. I have mentioned many names earlier but I will mention the names again,
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Dr. Zulkifli Hasan,
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and General Secretary of Muhammadiyah Central Administrator, Prof. Dr. Abdul Mu’ti,
Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin,
Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso,
Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto,
Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, Ph.D.,
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono,
Minister of the Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq,
Commander-in-Chief of Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), General Agus Subiyanto,
Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Polri), General (Police) Listyo Sigit Prabowo,
So, if the last name of the Polri Chief and the TNI Commander [combined] Prabowo Subiyanto. I don’t think they will be replaced,
Head of the National Nutrition Agency, Prof. Dr. Dadan Hindayana,
Cabinet Secretary, Teddy Indra Wijaya,
Chairperson of Commission VII, Saleh Daulay,
Acting Governor of East Nusa Tenggara, Andiko Noto Susanto,
Governor-elect of East Nusa Tenggara, Melkiades Laka Lena,
Vice Governor-elect of East Nusa Tenggara, Johanis Asadoma,
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anis Matta, Ph.D.,
Vice Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr. Fajar Riza Ul Haq,
Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Dr. Fauzan, Former Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang,
Vice Minister of Migrant Workers Protection, Zulfikar Achmad,
Vice Minister of Housing and Residential Area, Fahri Hamzah,
Vice Minister of Forestry, Sulaiman Umar,
Deputy Head of the Hajj Organizing Agency, Dahnil Anzar,
Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Kupang, Bapak Zainur Wula, along with all Rectors and Teachers of Muhammadiyah Higher Education,
Participants of Tanwir Reception of the 112th Muhammadiyah,
I have mentioned many public figures who have a close relationship with Muhammadiyah whether they were once as Muhammadiyah administrators or alumni of Universitas Muhammadiyah or Muhammadiyah High School. This shows us that Muhammadiyah is successful as a community, preaching, as well as an educational and health organization.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The first and second President of the Republic of Indonesia were also members of Muhammadiyah. If I am not mistaken, President Soekarno had been a Muhammadiyah administrator. Even, Ibu Fatmawati came from a family who had been a Muhammadiyah leader in Bengkulu. President Soeharto was also a Muhammadiyah member who graduated from elementary and secondary Muhammadiyah schools. Moreover, when he formed his cabinets, non-Muhammadiyah ministers complained, “Why did Pak Harto choose many ministers from Muhammadiyah?”.
I might be being accused of appointing many ministers from Muhammadiyah. No, I didn’t. I just think that Muhammadiyah is successful in educating, raising its cadres who can perform anywhere. When I invite political parties’ coalition, I asked their best candidates but I never asked for their backgrounds from Muhammadiyah or not. It turned out that after cabinet inauguration, someone told me, “Those ministers are from Muhammadiyah”. Today, I counted ministers from Muhammadiyah…I just knew that Budiman Sudjatmiko is alumnus of Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah High School. Indeed, alumni of Muhammdiyah are everywhere, on the left, right, and middle positions. Pak Jeffrie Geovanie is also from Muhammadiyah. Well, Sponsor, sponsor.
So, the General Chair of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive is creative by inviting public figures, government officials. We have just listened to the announcement of hospital groundbreaking. Well, I have got a new homework.
However, we support the programs because education and health are indeed the key of the nation rise. I am certain that the role of Muhammadiyah is precise. Correct me if I’m wrong, Muhammadiyah has 167 colleges, 126 hospitals, 231 clinics, 5,435 schools and Islamic schools, 440 Islamic boarding schools, and extensive network of organizations at home and abroad. In Cordoba, right? In Madrid, Muhammadiyah is building a huge mosque, which was once a church. Muhammadiyah is incredible.
Therefore, we, in the military, will never forget that the first Indonesian Military Commander in Chief was a Principal of Muhammadiyah High School in Purwokerto. It means that Muhammadiyah’s influence, apart from preaching, also instils patriotism, a spirit of love for the country, and produces extraordinary leaders.
Frankly speaking, Great General Soedirman did not graduate from military academy. He never took command staff school but he was successful to lead and win the war of independence. If we examine deeply his words, directives, speeches, thoughts as a military leader, he was as great as other world leaders throughout history. It means that although he was just regarded as a high school principal, surely, he studied, read, studied in a self-taught manner, so that he was able to lead a struggle for independence.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Being a leader in the arena of war crisis is a matter of life and death. When we lost, we would die or be humiliated or colonized. We do not want a war. I am a former general. I do understand and comprehend that the battle is. A destructive war is like a tree. It takes 20 years to grow a tree, but it takes 15 minutes to fall down. It takes hundred years to build and develop a state, people, villages, provinces, cities. Then, it needs a few minutes to destroy them. As I understand this situation, I continue to struggle and lead by persuading all of us to learn from our history, to be vigilant, to build unity, to avoid division and conflicts.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We face this situation. On this opportunity, I would like to remind us all that it should not be Muhammadiyah to say thank you to me to come here. It should be me to express my gratitude to Muhammadiyah. It is such an honor for me to speak before the Muhammadiyah figures, teachers, Islamic teachers, ulemas. They are nation’s educators, people’s role models, community role models.
Once again, I remind you all that, what we see today, the global situation teaches and reminds us to remain vigilant and grateful. We must be grateful that our country is not bombed. Until now, the Istiqlal Mosque is still standing tall, Universitas Muhammadiyah is still intact, and our factories are not damaged.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let’s take a look at television, YouTube. We can see what is happening to other countries and Muslim countries. Look, don’t trust Prabowo. We can see the situation in Gaza, innocent children. The latest figure is estimated at five thousand children under the age of one buried dead, thousands more we don’t know. It also happened to children over the age of one, the elderly, and women. In Lebanon, millions of Lebanese refuged as they lost their home, West Bank.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let’s take a look at Ukraine. Yes, Ukraine is far from here but Ukraine war has caused global food prices. Gaza is also far from here but people there are our brothers and sisters. So, what is the point? Ladies and gentlemen, let’s not assume that peace is normal. Let’s not assume that we don’t face threats. Why should we be careful, because we are rich. It was not we to come to the Netherlands. It is the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish who came here. Also, the French and British came here. They have been coming here from the past until now.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe that Islamic teaching, including all religious teaching, also teaches us to be responsible for the safety of ourselves, our families, and our properties.
Therefore, Ladies and Gentlemen, amid the uncertain situation, in which the calculation estimates that more or less than 17% nuclear war will happen in Europe. European observers said Western countries have permitted the use of long-range missiles to attack Russia. Then, Russia can attack Western countries by using advanced weapons. This situation also happens in the Middle East, Asia, Taiwan, and North Korea. I saw the news that last night the Government of South Korea declared emergency martial law. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, let us not be too careless, not too relaxed.
We are a non-aligned country. We do not take a side. We respect all countries. That’s our principle. However, 40% of global trade runs through Indonesia’s oceans and waters. 70% of energy from China, Korea, and Japan comes through Indonesia’s waters. If there is a big war, will it be impossible for us to be dragged in to the war?
For that reason, we need reliable political leadership. I mean that it is not political leadership only from the government. There needs to be harmony, there needs to be a great spirit from all circles.
We are very different. Differences are good and normal. We are of different ethnicities. We have different religions. For that reason, I express my respect to Muhammadiyah. You open educational institutions not only for Muslims, but open for all. You have set an example in tolerance, in inclusive life, in a life of mutual respect, in a life of caring for each other, supporting each other. This is very important. This is very important. There are parties from all religions, from all races and all tribes who are always willing to take a hard line, fanaticism, religious fanaticism, tribal fanaticism, racial fanaticism, cultural fanaticism, and so on. This is precisely what gives birth to war.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Therefore, what you have done is something very valuable for all of us. On the 112th anniversary, of course, on behalf of the Government and on my own behalf, I would like to express my congratulations. And it is hoped that in the future, Muhammadiyah will continue to play its role in the fields of da’wah (Islamic proselytization), health, and education. Ensuring prosperity for all is very appropriate because prosperity is our goal. But there is no prosperity without justice.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I was impressed with a government, an empire, a Muslim civilization that was quite long, almost 600 years, maybe close to 700 years, namely the Ottoman civilization which was centered in Turkey, in Istanbul. That was one of the superpowers at the time which was very successful. His characteristic was that it led a multi-ethnic empire, which was tolerant of all religions, all tribes, hundreds of different tribes. And there was something interesting to me, to lead hundreds of years and lead such a vast empire, it had an academy, the Governor’s academy.
The Governor’s academy actually had one main lesson, one paragraph that I find interesting. The academy taught it to all gubernatorial candidates. Therefore, regents who were being prepared to become governors must go to this academy and there were lots of lessons of course, but there is one very simple one. It was taught that there was no country without a strong military because there was a tendency for liberal studies to separate between civilians and military, between intellectuals and scholars— No way.
There is no country without a strong military. There is no strong military without money. There is no money without prosperity. There is no prosperity without happy and prosperous people. There can be no happy and prosperous people without a clean and just government. This is absolutely true. Where does the money come from? Money from the people, right, through taxes, through levies, if the people are not happy, they don’t want to pay taxes. Entrepreneurs who feel that they are being exploited in the past, maybe there aren’t any now. Hopefully there won’t be anymore. They’re not willing to pay taxes.
So, the lesson learned is why military – and of course military means military, police, government must be strong and good. However, it is impossible if there is no enough money. Money is not enough; yes, they can act. We are taught by our seniors that undisciplined soldiers are very dangerous, mobs. Soldiers who are not loyal to their masters are dangerous. Who is the master of military? The master is the people’s military. The people pay for the soldiers, their shoes, socks, clothes, all from the people. If the people are not happy, they will not be prosperous. And they cannot possibly be happy and prosperous if the Government is unclean and unfair.
I think this is a lesson, we don’t cheat. We need to learn from the good, the successful. And every civilization certainly had its ups, its peaks, its downs. Why was it receding? Because they were getting beat up everywhere. And if we are honest, at the end of the day, their Government also committed corruption and so on. One thing we learn from history is that a corrupt government cannot bring prosperity to the people. That’s a lesson, that’s a lesson.
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, let us work together according to the theme you have chosen. Let us fight for prosperity so that we can eliminate poverty, eliminate hunger, eliminate stunting.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have studied the numbers deeply. Our wealth is extraordinary, truly extraordinary. But let’s correct ourselves. Many of us are, frankly speaking, less skilled and less reliable at safeguarding our wealth. Therefore, I am determined to achieve a clean government and this is not easy. It is very difficult. In fact, I know I was laughed at, I was teased, but I’m used to being teased. “How is it possible to eliminate corruption in Indonesia? Where is it possible to eliminate poverty? It’s possible to eliminate hunger. What? I want to provide you with nutritious food, hahaha laugh.” At the beginning, they laughed at me and I knew they were threatening me. I know I was threatened. Later, share prices and stock index prices will fall. In the first days when I launched the idea of nutritious food emerged. I understand, I’ve been Indonesian for a long time. I get it, I get it. There are overt threats, there are subtle threats. There are open weapons, guns, cannons. Yes, they are. But before that, there were other weapons, psychological weapons, fighting against each other, slander, hoaxes. There were threats to the economy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
“Pak, because of the idea of nutritious food, the stock price index fell.” I said, I answered them, tell me so I don’t have shares, I said. And people in villages don’t have shares, that’s right. If shares fall, yes, it’s the stock exchange players who do it. Who is playing on the stock exchange here, ministers? Admit it. Fahri Hamzah, I think. Yes, rich people don’t just play shares, is that right? There are friends of mine who are mathematicians and want to use algorithms. But I saw that his life was stressed, every second he looked at TV, he saw what it was, wow, the stock price had dropped to zero point zero, wow, he panicked, counted again. Oh, my life is stressful, I don’t want that. And I’ll also tell you, if you’re a small person playing with stocks, you’re sure to lose. For small people, it’s usually the same as gambling, the one who wins is the big, strong dealer, right? Pak Trenggono is nodding off. Could it be that Pak Trenggono has an algorithm? There was a mathematician who was so smart. He dared to go to the casino. Calculate, calculate, calculate, and try playing roulette using that algorithm. But no, seriously, Ladies and Gentlemen. Then there are those who want to threaten our currency.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it turns out that a nation, in my belief, is based on several fundamental things. The first is the nation’s ability to produce food. Therefore, we respect what the previous government, all governments before us, from President Soekarno onwards, have done until we are here. We respect Pak Jokowi’s government. I’m not defending people. Frankly speaking, what am I for now, what is a soldier’s term, slacking off, licking the boots, right? I’m not defending Pak Jokowi because of his personality, no.
I want to say what it is. If there are shortcomings, there are, we all have shortcomings, all leaders have shortcomings. Don’t slander, don’t attack, we all have flaws. If you want to open it up, it’s not good. We were taught by our ancestors, our parents, mikul dhuwur mendhem jero. We must respect our parents very well. We, as young people, dare to make corrections, but we do it in a good and polite way. I think that is the teaching of my ustaz. I am not a very good person in my religion, I admit it, in front of Muhammadiyah I admit it. But I remember the teachings of my ustaz, you can’t hold grudges, you can’t curse, right? You can’t be hurt, you can’t hate. God alone forgives, why do humans continue hostility?
I was defeated by Pak Jokowi. And many of my ministers also defeated me. That’s right, come on, admit it, admit it. Who is Pak Jokowi’s treasurer, Trenggono? Come on, admit this. There are many of my ministers. But that’s it, that’s it, that’s it, differences are normal, competition is normal, that’s normal. But after that, let’s work together, come on. In fact, I know that this is Trenggono’s mastermind, but he is my representative at the Ministry of Defense. Finally, I was told, “oh, Prabowo uses a lot of Jokowi’s people”. No, it’s not Jokowi’s person, I use Red and White people, I use Indonesian people, right? There is also the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, who is not a Gerindra member. He is indeed non-party. But I took one, what I took I was sure that in his heart, it was all love for Red and White, love for the homeland.
So, there is no problem in the regional elections, there are winners and looser. That’s it, right? Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) supports Anies, there is no problem. Gerindra Party is the PKS representative in West Sumatra, right? There is no problem for me. Gerindra, the PDIP representative in Central Java, where? There are no longer any problems, let’s not… In my opinion, we must respond to differences of opinion with wisdom. And if there is a mistake, we correct it. We fix it.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am confident, I am optimistic, but we have to be careful because we are very rich. We control very strategic minerals needed by many countries. Because of these, some of our plans, downstreaming, are not acceptable in many countries. But we have no choice, for hundreds of years we have to sell our wealth as raw materials, we don’t want to do it again. We want God’s gifts to be purchased at the right price so that we have value. The added value can be used to improve the welfare of our people. So, we have to be ready to face it. Maybe one country wants to dictate that we should do this or that. You can’t be close to it. You are close to me. We are all close to each other.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I think that’s the point I want to convey. Thank you, Pak Haedar, for reading my book because in Indonesia many books are just put on display. Thank you, but I think those are the basics. And in conclusion, it turns out that after I travelled abroad, attended the APEC Summit, attended the G20 Summit, the theme at the G20, the theme at APEC, especially at the G20 what was the theme? What is the main theme? Eliminate poverty, eliminate hunger, fight hunger and fight poverty. That’s the global theme now. Then, towards protecting our environment. We’ll be on the front line. I say, Indonesia is probably the only country with perhaps Brazil and Congo, we can, we have been given a gift by God, we will be able to make all our fuel green, all our fuel from plants, and we will be energy self-sufficient.
Then, we will be self-sufficient in food in a shorter time than I expected. I set a target of four to five years. It turns out it could be faster. And, I believe and I am confident in NTT, we have changed it from, the governor’s report, only 300 thousand hectares that can now be irrigated, the potential is 4 million hectares. It is extraordinary. And we can do this and we will do this.
I believe that humans, especially leaders, must have the courage to have goals, they must have the courage to set high goals, not low goals. I was teased again, Prabowo could have said he wanted 8 percent growth.
I always quote Bung Karno’s words. Bung Karno taught us from a long time ago, set your dreams as high as the sky. If you don’t reach the sky, at least you fall among the stars. My experience in the military was the same. If we set a low target, it’s enough, don’t bother, right. I’ll give you a target, if now it’s 5 percent, 5.5 [percent], then it’s just 6 percent. Maybe it’s not even 6 percent, you know. But I calculated, I calculated the numbers, I believe, I’m sure we can reach 8 percent.
Our budget leaks will be our savings. If the Government is strict, clean, and efficient, I’m sure we can save our budget. But, Ladies and Gentlemen, this requires a big soul. Governors, Regents, Mayors, all have to work. Never mind reducing unimportant events. Right? Seminars, too many meetings. Why does this meeting or this have to be at a hotel like that?
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have calculated that overseas travel budget for Indonesian officials has reached USD3 billion. I ask my ministers to decrease the budget 50% which means we can save the budget to Rp15 trillion. With this budget, we can build many dams and irrigation systems, renovate some elementary schools, and feed many students. Please, all ministers should put off overseas travel for five years.
For five years, we can save travel budget approximately USD1.5 billion. Ladies and gentlemen, you can imagine what we can do with that budget. However, I order Minister of Finance, Vice Ministers of Finance to prepare a prudent budget. All programs must be prepared prudently. It is obvious that we can provide huge budget savings. Hence, I’m not announcing it here so that we don’t get complacent.
I order governors-elect, regents-elect to prepare a tight and efficient budget as well as to decrease non-critical budget. Critical budget is for people and direct interests. No need to hold seminars to discuss the issues. We all know community difficulties. “Bapak, Indonesia’s challenges are these or those”. I knew the issues. We don’t have one data. So many data, I know. So many overlapping laws and regulations, I know.
What is the solution? Minister of Public Housing, here is represented by Vice Minister. Poor people, young generation need an affordable house. No need to hold a seminar to talk about price and type. They need their own houses soon. At least, we have built a minimum of three million houses. Vice Minister Fahri Hamzah, you may smile but not now.
Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. Once again, thank you all Muhammadiyah figures. let’s be together with all other components, all other organizations, there are many differences but look for points of similarity, for the nation and state.
Thank you. I congratulate you on the 112th Anniversary of Muhammadiyah. Be devoted directly to the nation, and people. Continue what you have done and what you have proven.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Shalom,
Salve,
Om swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of Virtue.
Thank you. It is such an honor for me to talk to you here and set direction to you all. You are meritorious, working without being recognized.
Thank you.
(GA/MUR)