VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that Indonesia's future leaders should be courageous to take difficult and unpopular decisions in the wake of challenges ahead that are getting more complex.

"Policy choices will become increasingly difficult, so courage is needed, trust is needed, to make difficult decisions and unpopular decisions," Jokowi noted in his State of the Nation Address at the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the Parliamentary Complex here on Wednesday.

To this end, Jokowi emphasized that a leader should have the public's trust as one of the determining factors on whether their policies or decisions can work and be followed properly.

"This is the political capital in leading a nation. Apart from that, a leader also needs support and cooperation from all components of the nation," he stated.

President Jokowi highlighted that the government had made several significant policies that could become the capital to achieve progress.

He noted that the natural resources downstreaming policy would increase Indonesia's per capita income by more than twofold in the next 10 years.

He explained that in 2022, Indonesia's per capita income was recorded at Rp71 million (around US$4,639), and it is expected to increase to Rp153 million (around US$10,900) in 10 years, Rp217 million (around US$15,800) in 15 years, and Rp331 million (around US$25,000) in 22 years.

The president remarked that the government had made the foundation for the increase, namely through infrastructure and connectivity, which had, so far, improved Indonesia's competitiveness, from being ranked 44th to 34th in 2022 based on the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Jokowi further drew attention to the government's efforts for an equitable economy through development that started from villages, peripheral and outermost areas, including disbursing village funds, which had, so far, reached Rp539 trillion (around US$35.26 billion) in the 2015-2023 period.

In addition, Jokowi said, the government had consistently conducted structural reforms, especially in terms of facilitating simplification of regulations, supporting ease of licensing process, ensuring legal certainty, and taking steps to prevent corruption. (Antaranews)