State of the Nation Address of the President of the Republic of Indonesia at the Annual Session of The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) of the Republic of Indonesia and the Joint Session of The House of the Representatives (DPR) of the Republic of Indonesia and The Regional Representatives Council (DPD) of the Republic of Indonesia on the Occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
Good Morning,
May Peace Be Upon Us All,
Om Swastiastu,
Namo Buddhaya,
Greetings of Virtue.
Distinguished Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Bapak KH. Ma’ruf Amin and Ibu Wury Estu Ma’ruf Amin;
Honorable Speaker, Vice Speakers, and Members of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia;
Honorable Speaker, Vice Speakers, and Members of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia;
Honorable Speaker, Vice Speakers, and Members of the Regional Representatives Council of the Republic of Indonesia;
Honorable Chairperson, Vice Chairpersons, and Members of State Institutions;
Distinguished Ibu Hajah Megawati Soekarnoputri, the Fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia;
Distinguished Bapak Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Sixth President of the Republic of Indonesia;
Distinguished Bapak Try Sutrisno and Bapak Hamzah Haz;
Distinguished Bapak Muhammad Jusuf Kalla and Ibu Mufidah Jusuf Kalla;
Distinguished Bapak Boediono and Ibu Herawati Boediono;
Distinguished Ibu Hajah Shinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid;
Excellencies Ambassadors of Friendly Countries and Heads of International Agencies and Organizations;
Distinguished Chairpersons of political parties attending;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen and My Fellow Countrymen,
All these chairs in this assembly room should have been fully occupied with no chair left unused. The past two weeks should have been filled with various competitions and crowds full of joy, and carnivals to celebrate and enliven the 75th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia.
Nonetheless, every single thing that we have planned has to be completely changed. All these must not diminish our gratitude in commemorating the 75th Independence Day of Indonesia.
My Fellow Countrymen,
As many as 215 countries, with no exception, are currently facing these hard times amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the WHO, as of 13 August, there have been more than 20.4 million cases worldwide with the total number of deaths reaching 744,000 lives. All countries, be it underdeveloped countries, developing countries, or developed countries have been experiencing setbacks due to COVID-19.
The ongoing economic crisis is also the worst in history. In the first quarter of 2020, our economy grew by 2.97% but in the second quarter, the growth contracted by 5.32%. Economies of developed countries even reported a negative growth, even reaching more than minus ten to minus 17-20%. The setbacks experienced by several developed countries can serve as a momentum to catch up. The current economic situation is analogous to a computer crash in which countries are currently facing stagnation. All countries must undergo a brief process of shutdown, restart, and reboot. And all countries have the opportunity to reset all the systems.
I warmly welcome the moral appeals full of wisdom from the Ulemas, religious leaders, and culture bearers to make the momentum of the pandemic as a new awakening, once again, a new awakening, to make a big leap.
This is the time for us to fundamentally renew ourselves, to make a major transformation, to implement grand strategies in the fields of economy, law, governance, social, culture, health and education. We must turn this crisis into an opportunity to make big leaps. At the age of 75, we have emerged as an upper middle income country. And 25 years from now, at the centenary of the Republic of Indonesia, we must achieve great progress and make Indonesia a developed country.
My Fellow Countrymen,
We must undertake fundamental reforms in the way we work. Our readiness and speed are being tested. We had to evacuate Indonesian citizens from the COVID-19 pandemic zone in China. We had to provide hospitals, isolation rooms, medicines, and medical equipment, and uphold discipline in following health protocols. Everything must be done quickly in a very short time.
When the health crisis brings an impact on our economy, we also have to take swift actions, providing social assistance for the people in the forms of staple food assistance, cash assistance, electricity fee discount and subsidy, village cash assistance and salary subsidy. We helped our MSMEs obtain loan restructuring, receive productive presidential social assistance in the form of emergency capital assistance. We also helped them by purchasing their products. We provided assistance for laid-off workers, among others, through social assistance and pre-employment card programs. It was no easy task.
To that end, the Government must quickly change programs. We must adjust working programs with the current situation and we must carry out budget reallocation in a short time. We have issued Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 1 of 2020 that has been approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) to become Law Number 2 of 2020, I express my gratitude to the members of the House for the fast work. We have also been in synergy with central bank Bank Indonesia, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS) to rebuild the economy.
The crisis has forced us to change our way of work, from standard ways to outstanding ways, from ordinary ways to extraordinary ways, from a long and complicated procedure to a smart shortcut, from being procedure-oriented to being result-oriented.
We have to change our mindset and work ethic. Flexibility, speed and accuracy are imperative. Efficiency, collaboration, and the adoption of technology must be prioritized. We must improve our national self-discipline and national productivity. We must take lessons from this crisis. We must not let the crisis bring about setbacks. In fact, we must capitalize on the crisis as a momentum to make a big leap.
My Fellow Countrymen,
We have taken extraordinary measures in the struggle to curb the spread of COVID-19, in treating patients, and in preventing deaths. On behalf of the people, the nation, and the state, I would like to express my gratitude and highest appreciation to doctors and nurses, and health workers at hospitals, laboratories, health clinics, and isolation rooms, as well as to community leaders, volunteers, journalists, personnel of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and civil servants at the Central Government and regional governments
Amid the pandemic, fundamental reforms in the health sector must be accelerated. Disease prevention and a healthy lifestyle must be our top priority. We must also continue strengthening the capacity of our human resources, developing hospitals and health centers, as well as medicine and medical equipment industry. Resilience and capacity of our health service must be improved on a massive scale.
Regarding food security, we must ensure smooth food supply chain from the upstream of production to the downstream of distribution to all regions across the country. Food production efficiency, increasing added value for farmers, strengthening of cooperatives and farmer corporation will continue to be improved.
We are building food estates to strengthen national food reserves, not only in the upstream sector but also in the downstream sector of food product industry. We will no longer adopt manual ways, but will adopt modern technology and the use of digital sophistication, not only for domestic market, but also international market.
We have started to develop food estates in Central Kalimantan and North Sumatera Provinces. And we will continue to develop it in some other regions. It is a synergy between the Government, private sector, and the community as land owners and as workers.
My Fellow Countrymen,
We have been making considerable efforts to establish energy autonomy. In 2019, we managed to produce and use B20 fuel and this year we will start with B30. We have been able to reduce the value of oil imports in 2019.
State-owned oil company PT Pertamina is currently cooperating with researchers who have created the catalyst for green diesel D100, a hundred percent diesel fuel produced from palm oil. Production trial has been accomplished at our two refineries. This will absorb a minimum of a million tons of farmer-produced palm for 20,000 barrels of production capacity per day. The massive downstreaming of raw materials is continuously undertaken. Coal is processed into methanol and gas. Several refineries are being constructed to process crude oil into refined oil, and at the same time they become petrochemical industries that supply high values of products from downstream industry.
Nickel ore is processed into ferro nickel, stainless steel slab, and steel sheet and is developed as the main material for lithium batteries. This will narrow down our current account deficits, increase our employment opportunities, and start tackling fossil energy domination. This will place Indonesia in an even more strategic position in the development of lithium battery, world’s electric vehicle, and future technology producer.
We must adopt the same principal in building other industrial estates, including super economic corridor development in the northern coast of Java. Batang Industrial Estate as well as the one in Subang-Majalengka is still being developed in this brief time, designed to attract quality investment that is in synergy with our MSMEs, providing additional significant values for the national economy, and creating employment in a big number.
Similar industrial estates will also be built in various regions all over Indonesia, that is always in synergy with community entrepreneurship and MSMEs, to provide employment opportunities for unemployed young generation and boost equitability of development in all corners of the country.
Consequently, a favorable national ecosystem for the expansion of quality employment opportunity must be established. Regulatory reforms must be carried out. Regulations that are overlapping, complicated and misleading those that are at risk must be put to an end. We dedicate all of these to fair national economy to the interests of workers and job seekers in order to alleviate poverty by providing quality employment opportunity as wide as possible. We want all of them to be employed. We want all of them to prosper.
My Fellow Countrymen,
Productive and innovative national ecosystem cannot grow without favorable legal, political, cultural, and educational ecosystems. High flexibility and simple bureaucracy cannot be exchanged with legal certainty, anti-corruption, and democracy. All policies must be prioritized to become environmentally friendly and promote protection of human rights. Speed and accuracy cannot be exchanged with carelessness and arbitrariness.
The Government always makes efforts of corruption eradication in a serious manner. Prevention efforts must be intensified, through simple, transparent, and efficient governance. And law must be enforced without discrimination.
Upholding democratic values cannot be compromised. Democracy must continue to be practiced without disrupting speed of works and legal certainty, as well as the noble values of our nation. The 2020 regional elections must be conducted with discipline by following health protocols.
The noble values of Pancasila, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, national unity, cannot be exchanged with anything. We will not provide any room for anyone to pose a threat to them.
National education system must prioritize religious values, as well as develop strong and noble human characters, and to excel in innovation and technology.
I want all technology platforms to boost the transformation to national advancement. The significant role our digital media plays must be directed to build humanity values and national characters.
The media should not be controlled to amass clicks and likes, but must instead be pushed to contribute to humanity and national interests.
Ideology and noble values of the nation may not be exchanged with economic advancement. In fact, economic advancement clearly requires vigorous national spirit. We must be proud of Indonesian products; we must buy domestic products. Indonesia’s advancement must be firmly rooted in Pancasila ideology and the nation’s culture.
My Fellow Countrymen,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Those great purposes may only be achieved through cooperation among elements of the nation, through mutual cooperation, lending helping hands and reminding each other in goodness and virtue.
Indeed, democracy guarantees freedom, but it is only for freedom that respects other people’s rights. No one should be self-righteous, and blame others. No one should think of themselves as the most religious. No one should think of themselves as the most Pancasila-minded. All those feeling self-righteous and obtruding are not morally correct.
We are fortunate that the majority of Indonesian people, from Sabang to Merauke, from Miangas to the Island of Rote uphold solidarity and unity, are tolerant and care for each other, so we can get through these trying times.
We are fortunate and thankful for the support and fast work of the Chairpersons and Members of state institutions, who have taken extraordinary measures in supporting crisis handling and turning it into an opportunity to implement the nation’s great strategies.
The People’s Consultative Assembly quickly formulates a new program called “MPR Peduli COVID-19 (The People’s Consultative Assembly COVID-19 Care)”, and also continues to hold dissemination and implementation of Pancasila, and the study of our governance system and constitution.
With a very quick response, the House of Representatives deliberates, approves, and passes Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 1 of 2020 to become Law to provide legal protection in handling health and economic crisis, and Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2020 to become Law as a legal base to postpone regional elections.
The other running legislative agenda are as follows: Deliberation of Bill on Minerals and Coal Mining, Bill on State Finance Policy and Financial System Stability for Handling COVID-19 Pandemic.
The quick response has also been carried out by the Regional Representatives Council for emergency issues faced by the regions, starting from people economic empowerment through Village-Owned Enterprises, regional competitiveness improvement and health protocol application support, by drafting nine bills initiated by the Regional Representatives Council, and other several agenda in accordance with the respective Regional Representatives Council’s duties.
My Fellow Countrymen,
Amid various technical difficulties during pandemic, the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK) is still able to audit and submit 1,180 audit reports (LHP) of 2019 quickly and thoroughly, provide 36,000 recommendations to the Government, and instruct deposit to the state treasury for Rp1.39 trillion. Those hard internal duties did not affect the BPK’s agenda to maintain its role as an external auditor for the International Organizations and as a member of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee under the United Nations.
Likewise, the Supreme Court still guarantees the quick trials service during the pandemic, providing virtual trials service through e-court and e-litigasi applications that have accelerated trials other than public and face-to-face trials. In a bid to expand access for justice seekers, the Supreme Court continues to improve post service of legal assistance and modernizes case management through electronic court service. It brings success for the Supreme Court in reducing the number of unsolved cases significantly.
The success of the Supreme Court is thanks to the support of the Judicial Commission, which is in accordance with the commission’s authority. The nominations of Supreme Court justice candidates, anti-corruption ad hoc justice candidates, and industrial relations ad hoc justice candidates continue to proceed smoothly. By the same token, the implementation of programs for improving the capacity of justices, court monitoring, investigation and advocacy for justices also continue to advance. From the period of 2019 to June 2020, the Judicial Commission handled 1,584 public reports, of which 225 sanctions were recommended to impose.
The speed and accuracy of the Constitutional Court truly deserve our appreciation. The Constitutional Court continues to improve its governance and the use of electronic services to serve the people in seeking justice. The Constitutional Court has been successful in shortening the time of case settlement for judicial review, from the settlement time of 101 working days per case in 2017, to an average of 59 working days per case. Throughout 2019 to early 2020, the Constitutional Court completed 122 cases of judicial review. In the meantime, the expansions of cooperation at home and abroad continue to be enhanced. The Constitutional Court actively initiates and coordinates various activities at the regional and global levels, so that our legal system can be used as a reference for democracies around the globe.
My Fellow Countrymen,
There are still many big steps that we must take. There are still 25 years left for us to usher in the centenary of the independence day of Indonesia, to build Indonesia that we aspire to be.
Our current goal is not only to escape the pandemic and to get through the crisis. We are taking measures to make a big leap by making the most of the momentum of the ongoing crisis.
The crisis has given us a momentum to catch up, to make a major transformation by implementing grand strategies. Let us resolve fundamental problems that we are facing. We must make a big leap for a significant progress. We must make the most of this crisis. We must simultaneously and concurrently capitalize on this momentum. We must make Indonesia to be on par with other countries. We must make our country become an Advanced Indonesia that we aspire to be.
Long live the Republic of Indonesia!
Long live the Land of Pancasila!
Independence!
I thank you,
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om,
Namo Buddhaya.