VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia recorded a state budget surplus of Rp106 trillion in 2022, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated at the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) at the Parliament Complex here on Tuesday.

"By mid-2022, the state budget also recorded a surplus of Rp106 trillion. Therefore, the government is able to provide fuel oil, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and electricity subsidies of Rp502 trillion in 2022 to prevent fuel prices from soaring," Jokowi remarked.

The president said, Indonesia, akin to several other countries in the world, is facing tough challenges.

"Health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not fully recovered, and the global economic situation has not been fully restored. Then, the war broke out in Ukraine, and
the food crisis, energy crisis, and financial crisis became inevitable," he noted.

As many as 107 countries are affected by the pandemic, with some of them projected to go bankrupt, while 553 million people are facing the threat of extreme poverty. Food shortage and famine have threatened 345 million people in the world.

"This is not an easy challenge for the world and for Indonesia as well. We must face those challenges with prudence and vigilance, Jokowi emphasized.

Nevertheless, the head of state affirmed that amid the tough challenges, one must be grateful that Indonesia has emerged as one of the nations to have successfully overcome the global crisis.

Jokowi stated that Indonesia had succeeded in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"(Indonesia) is one of the five countries, with the highest vaccination rate in the world, with 432 million vaccine doses injected," the president stressed.

In addition, the inflation rate has been under control at around 4.9 percent, far below the average rate in ASEAN countries at around seven percent.

"It is also far lower than the average inflation rate in developed countries at around nine percent," he said.

The country's economy has recorded positive growth of 5.44 percent in the second quarter of 2022. The trade balance also clocked a surplus for 27 consecutive months, and in the first half of 2022, the surplus was around Rp364 trillion," he elaborated.

Jokowi believes people should be grateful for these achievements, as Indonesia’s economic fundamentals remain strong amid the global economic turbulence.

"On one hand, we must remain vigilant and careful, while on the other hand, we must continue with the nation’s big agendas to achieve an Advanced Indonesia," he noted.

President Jokowi attended the 2022 Annual Session of the MPR and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) to deliver his annual speech and state budget speech ahead of the 77th commemoration of Indonesia's Independence Day that falls on August 17.

Jokowi was dressed in traditional Paksian clothing from Bangka Belitung Islands Province.

The traditional outfit was adorned with the pattern of pucuk rebung, or bamboo shoots. The bamboo shoot motif symbolizes harmony, while the color green was chosen since in philosophy, it is believed to exude a sense of coolness and signifies hope and growth.

Later on in the day, the president will deliver the government’s note on the Draft State Budget  for Fiscal Year 2023 as well as the financial notes at the opening of the plenary session of the First Session of the House for the 2022-2023 sitting period. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed optimism that Indonesia would be able to become a competitive producer in green products in tandem with the development of the world's largest green industrial area in North Kalimantan.

"The green industrial area in North Kalimantan will become the largest green industrial park in the world. I am optimistic that we would become a producer of green products that are competitive in international trade," Jokowi noted during his state address at the 2022 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, Jakarta, on Tuesday.

The president called to continue to pursue downstreaming and industrialization of natural resources in order to provide benefits to the national economy.

Nickel downstreaming, for instance, has led to an 18-fold increase in steel exports. In 2014, the government recorded steel exports to be valued at Rp16 trillion. The figure grew to Rp306 trillion in 2021 as a result of downstreaming.

The head of state expects nickel downstreaming to be valued at Rp440 trillion by the end of 2022.

"In addition to tax revenues, the country's foreign exchange has increased, so the rupiah exchange rate is also more stable," he added.

The president later noted that Indonesia had become a key producer in the global lithium battery supply chain. Electric car manufacturers from Asia, Europe, and the United States have started to invest in Indonesia.

Apart from nickel, the government will also encourage the downstreaming of bauxite, copper, and tin, including building an integrated domestic industrial ecosystem that will support development of the world's green economy ecosystem.

In addition to downstreaming, the government is committed to increasing the optimization of clean energy sources and a green economy. Nurseries and rehabilitation of tropical forests and mangrove forests as well as the rehabilitation of marine habitats will continue to be conducted and will become a large potential carbon sink.

"Clean energy from solar heat, geothermal, wind, ocean waves, and bioenergy will attract industrialization for producing low-emission products," he noted. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that Indonesia targets to increase the number of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) entering the digital ecosystem to reach 30 million by 2024.

"As many as 19 million MSMEs have joined the digital ecosystem, and it is targeted that 30 million MSMEs will join the digital economy by 2024," President Jokowi noted in a speech at the Annual Session of the Indonesian People's Consultative (MPR) Assembly and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) held here on Tuesday.

Jokowi emphasized that Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) should be continuously supported to level up.

"We continue to boost economic digitation, which has led to the development of two decacorns and nine unicorns in order to empower MSMEs," he remarked.

The president also ensured that various low-interest loans for MSMEs will not stop, while adding that MSMEs’ products listed in the government’s e-catalogue were expected to boost sales.

"At the same time, the State Budget, Regional Budget, and State-owned Enterprises' obligation to procure domestic products must consistently be overseen," Jokowi stated.

The government has necessitated ministries and agencies as well as local governments to allocate 40 percent of their total budget for spending on products or services coming from MSMEs.

Regarding the display of MSMEs in the government's e-catalogue, President Jokowi has targeted to onboard about one million MSMEs into the e-catalogue of the National Public Procurement Agency (LKPP) by the end of 2022.

With the inclusion of MSMEs products in the LKPP e-catalogue, President Jokowi emphasized that government officials would no longer need to use imported products. (Antaranews)

Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali has expressed the hope that meeting President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will bolster the spirit of the U-16 national football team that recently won the AFF U-16 Championship.

The meeting with Widodo is intended to fulfill their aspirations, and will probably take place after the Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace here on August 17, 2022, he informed.

"I hope their spirit will be bolstered after meeting the President on August 17," Amali said after attending the inauguration ceremony of the Flag-Raising Troop (Paskibraka) for the Independence Day ceremony at the Presidential Palace complex here on Monday.

The minister also lauded the U-16 national team’s captain, Muhammad Iqbal Gwijangge, and his teammates for winning the championship.

"They are our hope for the future. They are amazing; their persistence, togetherness, and techniques are all apparent," Amali remarked.

He said that the U-16 national football team must not be given overly high targets as they need to first develop further before achieving more in the future.

"We hope their (performance) will be maintained and (they will) not (be) distracted by various matters, causing a decline in their achievements," the minister said

After the AFF Championship, the U-16 national football team will next fight to secure a place in the final of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in 2023.

Gwijangge and his teammates will compete in Group B in the U-17 Asian Cup qualification stage against Guam, Malaysia, Palestine, and the United Arab Emirates next October.

The U-16 national football team emerged victorious at the AFF U-16 Championship after defeating the Vietnamese team in the finals by 1-0 on August 12.

With this year's win, Indonesia has so far bagged two AFF U-16 Cup titles. It won the 2018 edition of the championship.  (Antaranews)