T

he international business community has termed President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo the '€œHollow President'€. He has earned this honor from his empty call to invest in Indonesia'€™s infrastructure needs without being able to have his team specify the projects available.

Most presidents visiting a country will have his or her team promote the various projects for investment prior to such visits and normally have memorandums of understanding (MoUs)signed during the visit.

President Jokowi came back empty and, hence, he was dubbed the '€œHollow President'€. As to his ministers announcing the amount of investments the country has attracted, these should be further clarified as to merely expressions of interest at most since until such investments really materialize, they are nothing more than expressions. In fact there was a call by one of his ministers asking all investors to fulfill their commitments as it was noted that actual funds for such investments have yet to be brought in.

This is especially so from Chinese investors and should be no surprise as most Chinese parties will casually sign agreements with no serious commitment. The flip flopping of decisions by the President will not accelerate or improve investors'€™ sentiments as no investors will want to commit their funds to a country that seems uncertain, if not indecisive, in its governance.

President Jokowi should get his house in order, be consistent and decisive and be better organized before speaking out loud, as an '€œempty can make the most noise'€.

Running a furniture factory or being a mayor of a village is very different from being a governor of the capital city (a post never really completed to assess the result), and being a president of a country of almost 260 million people requires more than honesty and simplicity. The speedy rise to be the president is showing in its hollow deliverance.

IB Saw
Jakarta