Despite the geopolitical conflicts and crises that are continuing to haunt the world, the five big national agendas must continue to be pursued to achieve the Advanced Indonesia goal, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has emphasized.
The agendas are aimed at developing an inclusive, fair, and sustainable Indonesia, the President said during 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 Tuesday (August 16, 2022).
"The nation's grand agenda must not stop. Great efforts must continue to be made. There are at least five big agendas that I have emphasized earlier," the President said.
The five big agendas comprise first, to continue to conduct the downstreaming and industrialization of natural resources.
The President informed that the downstreaming of the nickel industry has led to an 18-fold increase in the exports of iron and steel. In addition to tax revenue, the country's foreign exchange is expected to rise so the rupiah exchange rate will remain stable.
According to Widodo, Indonesia should build an integrated ecosystem for the industry that will support the development of the global green economy ecosystem.
The second agenda involves the optimization of green energy sources and lays emphasis on improving the green economy.
Widodo noted that green energy from solar thermal, geothermal, wind, ocean waves, and bioenergy would attract the manufacturers of low-emission products.
The President expressed optimism that Indonesia would emerge as a competitive green product manufacturer in international trade.
As for the third agenda, Widodo called for continuing efforts to strengthen the community's legal, social, political, and economic protection.
He emphasized that the realization of civil rights and democratic practice as well as the political rights of women and the rights of marginalized communities must be guaranteed.
He also stressed that the law must be upheld equitably without discrimination.
The fourth agenda aims to continuously support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to level up.
The government has continued to boost economic digitalization to empower MSMEs, thereby leading to the development of two decacorn companies and nine unicorn companies, he said.
According to the President, at least 19 million MSMEs have entered the digital ecosystem, and the figure is targeted to reach 30 million by 2024.
The fifth agenda highlighted by the President is that the construction of the national capital of Nusantara (IKN) must not stall.
"The IKN is not only for state civil apparatus but also a city of innovators and entrepreneurs. The city will not only house government offices, but it will also become a new economic driving force. It will not only be an ordinary city but it will be a forest city with world-class education and health services," he remarked.
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Meanwhile, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo affirmed that there will be several changes presenting opportunities and challenges for the nation on the path to realizing the Indonesia Emas (Golden Indonesia) 2045 vision.
Under the vision, Indonesia aims to become a developed country and the fifth-largest economy by 2045. Meanwhile, its population is expected to reach over 300 million, and its GDP is expected to touch US$23 thousand.
"The emergence of new trends on a global scale with great impetus demands a more anticipatory political character, with a long-term direction," Soesatyo said here on Tuesday.
He emphasized the importance of having a more reliable development road map in order to realize the vision.
He also stressed the need to have a development path that would better guarantee national resilience, with the ability to realize the vision and mission of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) as well as a development path that would ensure more sustainable development.
According to the MPR Speaker, such a development path must also include the development of Indonesia's new capital city project, which should not get halted or postponed later with a change in national leadership since the development of the new capital city is a long-term project.
He emphasized the need to conduct more sustainable development in order to make the new capital city a sustainable world-class city based on the concept of a smart blue-green city as well as a hub for the national and regional economy.
"It takes a (clear) state direction and (policy) consistency across governments," Soesatyo stressed.
The MPR Speaker said he believes that clear direction and policy consistency are crucial aspects for directing development, especially to achieve Indonesia's vision of becoming a developed country by 2045.
Furthermore, he expressed the hope that the development of the new capital city would serve as a catalyst to encourage Indonesia to take giant leaps forward in advanced technology.
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Building national strength
House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani deemed it crucial for all elements of the country to build national strength to tackle global challenges, such as geopolitical conflicts and global monetary pressures.
"It is very important for all of us, all stakeholders and the people of the country, to build our national strength," Maharani remarked while delivering a speech at the annual session.
She said that national strength can be built by building awareness, will, and joint commitment from all national elements, and would stem from a sense of love for the Indonesian nation.
With the national ideology of Pancasila and the motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or Unity in Diversity, she affirmed that commitment and awareness regarding tackling challenges together can be built, thereby advancing Indonesia in all aspects.
Furthermore, the Speaker also highlighted some steps that can be taken by the Indonesian people to help resolve challenges, such as by working as state civil apparatus (ASN) or in the private sector, and in fields related to education, society, religious affairs, health, politics, journalism or the press, sports, arts, and as observers, among others.
"All of these (forms of) participation can be articulated in the form of ideas, work, achievements, movements, criticism, and so on," she added.
Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of the Indonesian society sticking to its identity in an era of globalization and rapid developments in technology and industry.
She explained that the current dynamic era has made it easier for Indonesian society to open up and connect socially, culturally, economically, and politically with foreign societies, which has influenced people’s way of thinking, working, and living.
"Those (ideologies) do not necessarily match the identity of the Indonesian nation. They can even erode the nation's noble and character values, such as religious, cultural, manners, ethics, and tolerance values as well as mutual respect among fellow Indonesians," she said.
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Editor : Mahdani
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