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'The main thing is not the process, but the result’: Jokowi’s full inauguration speech

Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, October 20, 2019

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'The main thing is not the process, but the result’: Jokowi’s full inauguration speech President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo delivers his inauguration speech after taking an oath of office for the 2019-2024 presidential term on Sunday. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)

S

em>Shortly after he took an oath of office for the 2019-2024 presidential term, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo gave his inauguration speech, outlining his plans for his second term.

Below is the unofficial English translation of his speech:

 

Honorable leaders and members of the MPR [People’s Consultative Assembly]; honorable Bapak Prof. Dr. KH Ma’ruf Amin, the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia; honorable Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri, the fifth president of the Republic of Indonesia; honorable Bapak Prof. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the sixth president of the Republic of Indonesia; Bapak Hamzah Haz, the ninth vice president of the Republic of Indonesia; Bapak Prof. Dr. Boediono, the 11th vice president of the Republic of Indonesia; Bapak Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, the 10th and 12th vice president of the Republic of Indonesia.

Your excellencies, the heads of state and governments as well as special envoys of friendly nations, honorable heads of state institutions, and of course my good friends Bapak Prabowo Subianto and Bapak Sandiaga Uno, honorable guests.

BapakIbu, brother and sister compatriots.

Our dream, our ambition is that by 2045, after one century of Indonesian independence, Indonesia should, Insya Allah (God willing), have escaped the middle-income trap. Indonesia will have become an advanced country with an annual income of Rp 320 million per capita or a monthly income of Rp 27 million per capita. That is our target; that is our common target.

Our dream is that by 2045, Indonesia’s gross domestic product will have reached US$7 trillion. Indonesia will have become one of the top five world economies with a poverty rate nearing zero percent. That is what we must head toward.

We have counted, we have calculated, and that target is very reasonable and very possible for us to achieve. It must be coupled with hard work, and we have to work quickly; it must be coupled with productive work from our nation.

In a world that is full of risk, very dynamic and very competitive, we have continued to develop new methods, new values. We should not get stuck in a monotone routine. 

Innovation should not just become knowledge. Innovation should become a culture. Let me tell a story. Five years ago, the first year I was in the [Presidential] Palace, I invited officials and the public for a halal bi halal [post-Idul Fitri gathering]. The protocol officers asked me to stand at a certain spot, and that first year I complied. The second year, there was another halal bi halal, and the protocol officers asked me to stand at the same spot. I immediately whispered to State Secretary [Pratikno], “Pak, let’s move locations. If we don’t move, that spot will become the norm. After a while, it will be considered a rule, and later it might even be considered a law.” Continually just standing at that spot. This is what I mean by a monotone routine.

Once again, breaking the routine is one thing. Boosting productivity is another thing that is our priority. Our work should no longer be process-oriented, but rather oriented toward tangible results. I often remind the ministers, our work is not only creating and carrying out policies, but our work is ensuring that the public enjoy public services, enjoy development. 

Oftentimes bureaucrats will report to me, saying that the program has been carried out, that the budget has been spent, that the accountability report has been completed.

When asked, they reply, “The program has been carried out, Pak.” But when I check in the field, when I ask the people, it turns out that the public have not received the benefits [of the program]. It turns out that the people have not felt the results.

Once again, the main thing is not the process, the main thing is the result.

Checking it is easy. When we send a message through SMS or WA [WhatsApp], there is “sent” and there is “delivered”. Our job is to guarantee [that the program] is delivered, not just sent. I don’t want a bureaucracy that just keeps on sending things. I want and I will force a bureaucracy to deliver. The job of the bureaucracy is to guarantee that the public feels the benefits of [government] programs. 

Ladies and gentlemen, and all the people of Indonesia that I am proud of, there is strong potential that we escape the middle-income trap. Right now, we are at the peak of the demographic bonus, where our productive-aged population far outnumbers those of the non-productive age. This is a big challenge and also a great opportunity. This could be a big problem if we cannot provide jobs, but it will be a big opportunity if we are able to develop superior human resources, supported by an advantageous political and economic ecosystem. 

Because of that, this is what we want to carry out in the next five years:

First, the development of human resources will be our main priority, building a workforce that is hard-working, dynamic, skilled, with a mastery in science and technology, [as well as] inviting global talents to work together with us.

This cannot be achieved with old methods. New methods must be developed. We need a large endowment fund to manage our human resources. Cooperation with industry must also be optimized, as well as the use of technology to make it easier to reach all corners of the country. 

Second, we will continue infrastructure construction – infrastructure that connects production areas to distribution areas, that facilitates access to tourist areas, that boosts new employment, that accelerates the added value of the people's economy.

Third, we must simplify, cut down on and trim all forms of obstructive regulation. The government will invite the House of Representatives to pass two big laws – first, a job creation law and, second, a small and medium enterprises empowerment law.

Both of these laws will be omnibus laws, namely a single law that revises several, even dozens of other laws. Dozens of laws that hamper job creation will be revised at the same time. Dozens of laws that hamper the development of small and medium enterprises will also be revised. 

Fourth, we will continue to massively simplify the bureaucracy. Investment to create jobs must be prioritized. Long procedures must be cut down. Convoluted bureaucracy must be trimmed. 

[Civil service] echelons must be simplified. Echelon I, echelon II, echelon III, echelon IV – isn’t that too many? I ask that this be simplified to only two levels, replaced by functional positions that value skill and competence. 

I also ask the ministers, officials and bureaucrats to seriously guarantee the achievement of the goals of development programs. I will not have any mercy for those who are not serious. I guarantee that I will remove [them].

Finally, fifth is economic transformation. We have to transform from a dependence on natural resources to a competitive and modern manufacturing and service-based economy that has high added value for the prosperity of the nation and social justice for all the Indonesian people. 

Ladies and gentlemen and all the people of Indonesia that I glorify, at this historic opportunity, allow me on behalf of myself, Vice President KH Ma’ruf Amin and all of the Indonesian people to express the highest gratitude and appreciation for Bapak Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, who has governed shoulder-to-shoulder [with me] during the past five years. 

I also express my thanks to all state institutions, government officials, the TNI [Indonesian Military] and the National Police, and all components of the nation that helped oversee the government for the past five years so that it could run well.

To end this speech, I invite bapak, ibu, and brother and sister compatriots together to make a commitment. 

Pura babbara’ sompekku... Pura tangkisi’ golikku...

“My sail is flying… my helm is mounted...”

Together we move toward an advanced Indonesia! 

Thank you. (kmt)

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