New govt to spend first 100 days making plans

Mustaqim Adamrah ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  JAKARTA   |  Fri, 11/06/2009 2:35 PM  |  Headlines

Public expectations for positive action by the new government in its first 100 days have devolved into disappointment as it grows clear the government is going to draft more plans rather than actually do anything concrete.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced Thursday his new administration would spend the first 100 days making blueprints for a five-year action plan to boost the country's economy.

Yudhoyono outlined eight economic priorities, all of which would be further described in numerous blueprints expected to be completed in the first 100 days.

The eight priorities touch on, among others, the revitalization of strategic industries, electricity supply, infrastructure development and spatial planning.

The President's announcement comes after the new administration spent weeks drafting what the public initially expected would be concrete measures corresponding to a series of suggestions garnered from stakeholders at the so-called National Summit last month held by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

Yudhoyono said blueprints were being prepared on how to develop strategic industries such as the weapons industry, which is dominated by state firms.

Blueprints on how to develop much-needed infrastructure, including for transportation and electricity, were also expected to be drafted within the first 100 days, the President said.

"In the first 100 days, *the government* will determine the electricity needs for industry, the commercial sector, households and transportation," he said.

"In these 100 days, we will formulate the ability and limit of *state power firm PT* PLN."

On food security, Yudhoyono said the government would draw up a "grand design" within first 100 days to achieve self-reliance in several staple foods for the next five years.

The plan will touch on irrigation systems, fertilizers, interest subsidies for farmers and research and development, among others, he said.

"We have achieved self-reliance in rice, corn and sugar for consumption," Yudhoyono said.

"But of course it's not secure until we begin recording surpluses."

Agriculture Minister Suswono said that in his first 100 days, he was tasked with setting up strategies to increase production of rice, corn, sugar, soybean and meat.

"Indeed, the first 100 days sees mostly the making of blueprints," he said.

In industrial revitalization, Yudhoyono said the first 100 days should be spent fine-tuning strategies required to ensure the revitalization of the fertilizer industry and sugar industry went smoothly.

Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat, who is also the Kadin chairman, said the Finance Ministry had allocated Rp 1 trillion (US$105 million) in the draft 2010 state budget to revitalize the sugar industry.

Blueprints to be drafted in first 100 days will touch on:

1. Electricity supply
2. Food security
3. Industrial revitalization
4. Spatial planning
5. Infrastructure
6. Small and medium enterprises
7. Financing and investment
8. Synchronization of regulations between the central government and regional administrations

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