PRESIDENT JOKOWI SETS SIGHTS ON PEACE-BUILDING IN UKRAINE, RUSSIA by Fardah

 

Jakarta, 28/6/2022 (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is scheduled to embark on a peace-building mission to Ukraine and Russia on June 29 and 30, 2022, after attending the G7 Summit for Partner Countries in Germany.

The G7 Summit, held on June 26-27, discussed the global food supply chain disruption and the Russia-Ukraine war, among other things.

The President and his entourage left Germany for Poland on June 28, from where he will enter Ukraine, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi informed.

He is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on June 29 and call on Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on June 30.

Prior to his departure to Germany, Jokowi told Indonesian media that his mission in Ukraine and Russia will be to conduct dialogue on efforts to end the war and achieve peaceful solutions.

"War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated," he said.

At the G7 Summit, he cited data from the World Food Program (WFP) showing that at least 323 million people in a number of countries are at risk of a food crisis. The G7 and G20 have a big responsibility to overcome this crisis, he added.

He emphasized the importance of G7 countries support for the reintegration of Ukraines wheat exports and Russias food and fertilizer exports into global supply chains.

 

GLOBALIZATION, DEEPENING POLITICAL DIVIDE BRING TEST FOR PANCASILA by Fardah

 

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has once again forced the Indonesian people to commemorate Pancasila Day virtually.

 

Wearing the traditional attire of South Kalimantan, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) led the commemoration ceremony, held in a "hybrid" manner, from the Bogor Presidential Palace, while high-ranking officials gathered in the yard of the Pancasila Building inside the Foreign Ministry compound in Jakarta, or joined in the celebrations from their offices.

 

Those who participated in the ceremony included chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Bambang Soesatyo, who read out the Pancasila text, and chief of the House of Representatives (DPR), Puan Maharani, who read out the preamble to the 1945 Constitution (UUD1945).

 

The Indonesian people have been commemorating the birth of the Pancasila ideology since 2017, following the signing of Presidential Decree no. 24 of 2016 by the President, who also declared  June 1 as a national holiday.

 

The Pancasila (Five Principles), which reflect the Indonesian state’s philosophy, were first articulated on June 1, 1945, in a speech delivered by Sukarno before the preparatory committee for Indonesia’s independence, sponsored by the Japanese colonizers.

 

Sukarno had argued that the future Indonesian state should be based on Five Principles: Indonesian nationalism; internationalism, or humanism; consent, or democracy; social prosperity; and, belief in one God. Indonesia proclaimed its independence on August 17, 1945, and Sukarno went on to become its first president.

 

Following a consensus among Indonesia’s founding fathers, the Pancasila, in a slightly altered order and amended wording, was enshrined in the 1945 Constitution, passed on August 18, 1945. The doctrine now envisaged belief in one God, a just and civilized humanity, Indonesian unity, democracy under the wise guidance of representative consultations, and social justice for all the people of Indonesia.

 

JOKOWI SPRINGS SURPRISE WITH PRABOWO'S INCLUSION IN NEW CABINET

Rabu, 23 Okt 2019 20:27

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 23/10 (Antara) - Joko Widodos (Jokowis) arch rival in two consecutive presidential elections, Prabowo Subianto, appointed as Indonesias defense minister in Jokowis second-term administration cabinet line-up has surprised supporters of the respective presidential candidates in the last elections.

Subianto and Jokowi went head-to-head in the 2014 and 2019 heated elections that showcased a national divide, triggering a prolonged and fierce fight between Subiantos supporters called kampret (baby bats) and Jokowis supporters cebong (baby frogs) on social media.

Following the announcement of results of the presidential elections on May 22, 2019, unrest erupted in Jakarta, as Subiantos supporters believed that the April 2019 election was marred by massive and systematic frauds. At least nine people, mostly teenagers, were killed during the rally.

Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, Prabowo Subiantos spokesman, recently stated during a television talk show that the retired general had accepted the offer since as a patriot, he was keen to give his utmost contribution to the country and nation. Furthermore, he has carved out a niche in defense affairs, so he accepted it, he stated.

"I believe I don't have to tell him about his job - he knows more than I do," Jokowi remarked while announcing Prabowo Subianto's new role.

Subianto, 68, was an ex-commander of the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) during the administration of Indonesia's second president Soeharto, who was also his father-in-law.



On Oct 21, Prabowo Subianto, the founder and chairman of Gerindra Party's Advisory Board, was called to the presidential palace by Jokowi. On the occasion, he was accompanied by Edhy Prabowo, the deputy chairman of Gerindra.

He accepted the offer to become defense minister to replace Ryamizard Ryacudu, while Edhy Prabowo as maritime affairs and fisheries minister to succeed Susi Pudjiastuti.

Subianto, the son of Indonesia's prominent economist Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, failed to become Golkar Party chairman and decided to establish Gerindra (Movement of Great Indonesia) party in 2008.

He contested thrice in the direct presidential elections, but success had eluded him until now. He was the vice presidential candidate, running mate of presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri in 2009, and later the presidential candidate in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.

AWAITING MINISTERS TO WALK THE TALK OVER PUBLIC'S DEVELOPMENTAL BENEFITS

Senin, 21 Okt 2019 14:33

By Fardah

Jakarta, 21/10 (Antara) - During his presidential inauguration address on October 20, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) gave an insight into his aspirations of seeing Indonesia become an advanced nation, achieve near-zero poverty, and avoid the middle-income trap.
To this end, the head of state has outlined five priorities for his second five-year term for the 2019-2024 period, notably human resources development, infrastructure development, regulation simplification, bureaucracy simplification, and economic transformation.
Indonesia must channel its efforts towards developing hardworking, dynamic, and skilled human resources that have also gained mastery over technology and sciences, he noted.
He also vowed to continue the development of infrastructure to connect production regions with distribution regions, offer better access to tourist destinations, create new job opportunities, and increase added value of the people's economy.
Moreover, the president highlighted the need for simplifying regulations and deregulating to encourage micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and to offer more jobs.
To attract investment that can create job opportunities, he will also prioritize debureaucratization or simplification of bureaucracy.
The fifth priority concerning economic transformation aims to veer from dependency on natural resources to competitive manufacturing.
"We must transform from depending on natural resources into manufacturing competitiveness and modern services that have high added values for prosperity of the nation and for social justice for all Indonesian people," he stated.
Jokowi also expressed hope that Indonesia would emerge as a developed nation, with calculated income of Rp320 million per capita per year, or Rp27 million per capita per month.
"Our goal is that in 2045, Indonesia's gross domestic product can reach US$7 trillion. Indonesia has been listed among the world's five-largest economies, with nearly zero poverty rate. We have to achieve our goal," Jokowi stated.
To achieve the targets, Jokowi is seeking ministers that can not only implement his priority programs but are also capable of delivering the benefits of development programs to the people.
Jokowi spoke of scenarios when his ministers had updated him on the tasks they had conducted, though his on-field checks exposed the truth of the public yet to benefit from these programs.
The government's development programs should not merely focus on process, but it must also be oriented towards tangible results.
Jokowi is expected to announce his new cabinet line-up on Oct 21, a day after he and Ma'ruf Amin took their oath of office respectively as Indonesia's president and vice president for the 2019-2024 period.

ROUNDUP- SMOOT AND PEACEFUL JOKOWI'S SECOND PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

Minggu, 20 Okt 2019 19:55

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 20/10 (Antara) - Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Ma'ruf Amin took their oath of office respectively as Indonesia's President and Vice President for the 2019-2024 period in an official swearing-in ceremony taking place at the Parliament Building in Jakarta on Oct 20, 2019.

The presidential inauguration ceremony was conducted smoothly and peacefully amid tight security measure with some 31 thousand police and military officers deployed in the capital city.

In his inaugural address, Jokowi said his administration in the second five-year presidential term will prioritize human resources development, infrastructure, and debureaucratization to encourage investment that could create job opportunities.

Foreign dignitaries attending the inauguration ceremony included 17 heads of state and governments as well as special envoys, and 168 foreign ambassadors, according to Head of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo.
Among the foreign leaders were Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad; Brunei Darussalams Sultan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, King of Eswatini Mswati III, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen and China's Vice President Wang Qishan.

The foreign leaders held separate meetings with President Jokowi prior to the inauguration and expressed their commitment to strengthen bilateral ties with Indonesia.
"They have expressed commitment to continuously strengthen bilateral cooperation with Indonesia. The President expressed gratitude for the presence of the guests including those coming from far away, to attend this inauguration ceremony," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi told the media at the Merdeka Palace.

In the meantime, Chief of the Indonesian Defences Forces (TNI) Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto earlier said the military and the Indonesian Police (Polri) deployed several helicopters, drones and Boeing aircraft for air security during the presidential inauguration.

QUALITY HUMAN RESOURCES WILL MAKE INDONESIA DEVELOPED NATION

Jumat, 16 Ags 2019 23:45

By Fardah

Jakarta, 16/8 (Antara) - At the beginning of the first term of his presidency in 2014, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had expressed his ambition to develop Indonesia into a maritime axis and revive the country's past maritime glory.

One of the keys to realizing this ambition is by building competent and professional human resources in the maritime field.

And now, as his first presidential term draws to a close, Jokowi, who has been reelected for the 2019-2024 period in the 2019 Presidential Election, unveiled his vision to make Indonesia a developed country and one of the worlds economic powers, by relying on the quality of human resources and mobilization of its economic resources.

"We are the fourth largest population in the world. Most of them are young people. Our middle class population grows rapidly," the President said while delivering his address on the Government Statement on the Bill in the State Budget for the 2020 Fiscal Year and Its Financial Note before the Plenary Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the Parliament Building, August 16, 2019, a day prior to the Indonesian National Day.

Indonesia currently has a population with a productive age constituting 68 percent of the total population of 267 million.

The government's determination to make Indonesia a developed nation reflects in the 2020 fiscal policy themed A State Budget to Accelerate Competitiveness through Innovation and Improved Quality of Human Resources.

Therefore, the State Budget Bill focuses on five main aspects, notably strengthening the quality of human resources, accelerating infrastructure development in support of economic transformation, strengthening social protection programs, improving the quality of fiscal decentralization to boost regional autonomy, and anticipating global uncertainty.

JOKOWI, FATHER OF INDONESIAN TOURISM by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 16, 2019 (Antara) - A "Father of Tourism¿ honorary title has been bestowed to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for a series of his initiatives and commitments in developing tourism industry in Indonesia.

        Jokowi received the title from Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) Hariyadi Sukamdani during a gala dinner to celebrate the 50th anniversary of PHRI, held at the Jakarta Convention Hall, in Jakarta, on Feb 11, 2019.
    Owing to Jokowi's policies, including on visa-free travel, Indonesia received nearly 16 million foreign tourist arrivals during 2018. The rise in tourist arrivals in Indonesia has surpassed the average increase in the regions.    
   During the Jokowi administration, the allocation of tourism budget has also increased, from Rp1.2 trillion in 2014 to Rp2.1 trillion in 2015; Rp3.3 trillion in 2016; Rp3.2 trillion in 2017; Rp3.4 trillion in 2018; and Rp3.8 trillion in 2019.

         "The honorary title was bestowed by PHRI on Mr. Jokowi for his initiatives and commitment to tourism development since he was the mayor of Solo," Sukamdani noted.

        The country's security and stability situation were also good under the administration of Jokowi.

        Infrastructure development projects, such as toll roads, 11 new airports, seaports, and power plants, constructed by Jokowi across Indonesia have directly affected the tourism sector.

         The increase in investment in hotel and restaurant development has reached 78.6 percent as of the first semester of 2018.

         The total number of tourists arriving in Indonesia in 2018 had reached 15.8 million foreign travelers and 265 million domestic visitors, according to Sukamdani.

JOKOWI REMAINS MEDIA DARLING by Fardah

  Jakarta, Feb 9, 2019 (Antara) - Joko Widodo (Jokowi), a furniture businessman who turned into a politician, has become a media darling since he rose to the national politic arena in 2013.

        His rapid rise from being Solo's mayor (2005-2012) to Jakarta's governor (2012-2014), and later as Indonesia's seventh president (since October 2014), was also partly thanks to the media that was mostly fond of him.

        In April 2015, the then chairman of the Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) Margiono presented Jokowi a jacket with a text that read "Media Darling" on the left side.  
  During the 2019 National Press Day celebration held in Surabaya, East Java, on Feb 9, 2019, Jokowi received a Press Freedom medal from Chairman of the Press Council (Dewan Pers) Yosep Stanley Adi Prasetyo.

        "We convey our congratulations and laud the president, who has been playing a major role in the press world so far," Prasetyo noted in his remarks.

         The Press Freedom medal is the highest award bestowed by the press community on an individual or institution that has contributed significantly towards the interest of the press, he remarked.

        Jokowi responded by saying that he felt proud and grateful to the press in Indonesia for trusting him to receive the award.

        The government has, so far, guaranteed press freedom and accepted various forms of constructive criticism as a means of social control, he added.

         "I also invite the press to strengthen its identity as a source of information that is accurate and trustworthy and always strengthens its identity to continue to educate the public," Jokowi noted.

        Earlier, he remarked that he was glad to witness that the public has laid greater trust in the conventional media than social media.

PREPARATIONS FOR WEDDING OF JOKOWI'S ONLY DAUGHTER COMPLETED by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 1, 2017  (Antara) - Kahiyang Ayu, the only daughter of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), will get married to her university sweetheart Bobby Affif Nasution in her hometown Solo, Central Java, on Nov 8 this year.        
    Ayu and Bobby Nasution are both aged 26 and students of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). The duo had dated for a year and got engaged in June 2017.

         "My sister will get married on Nov 8," Gibran Rakambuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son, had informed the press at the president's private residence in Solo or Surakarta last September.

         Speaking as the spokesman of his family, Raka was accompanied by Ayu and First Lady Iriana during the press conference.

         The wedding ceremony will follow Javanese traditions, and preparations for the wedding have been completed.

         The Graha Sabha Buana Hall, owned by the Jokowi family and located near his private home in Solo, will serve as the venue for the wedding ceremony, and the food will be provided by catering company Chili Pari owned by Raka.

         "One of the dishes to be served is martabak," Raka said as quoted by tempo.co.

         The 30-year-old entrepreneur is no stranger to the popular Indonesian pancake, as he also owns cafe Martabak Kota Barat, or Markobar, having outlets in several cities across Indonesia.

         Both martabak manis, or sweet pancake, and martabak telur, or stuffed fried pancake, will be served at the wedding. The pancake delights will be prepared at the venue.

         "Guests will be able to witness the cooking process," Raka added.

         Ayu's elder brother said the media will be given access to cover the ceremony, adding that he will set up a media center for the event.

         "Do not worry. We will set up a media center for the journalists. It will be operational in the run-up to the wedding," Raka told reporters.

         Ayu, or Ayang, was born in 1991. She has completed an undergraduate degree in food technology at the state-run Sebelas Maret University in Solo. She has attended a postgraduate degree course at IPB since 2015.

         Bobby Nasution is the third or youngest son of Erwin Nasution, former executive director of state-owned plantation holding company PT Perkebunan Nusantara II, who passed away in January this year.

         He has two elder sisters: Mayang Sari Nasution and Inge Amelia Nasution.

         Bobby Nasution had received his undergraduate degree in agribusiness from the Faculty of Agribusiness and Management at the IPB in 2014.
    Nasution is now a postgraduate student in Business Management Magister of the IPB.  
    Jokowi said he is looking forward to his daughter's wedding and is excited to be a member of a big Batak family, as his future son-in-law is an ethnic Batak from Medan, North Sumatra.

         President Jokowi led the final meeting on the wedding preparations in Solo on Oct 29. Following the meeting, he confirmed that all preparations were completed.

         The meeting was attended by Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Solo Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo, and Commander of the Diponegoro Military Command Major General Tatang Sulaiman, among others.

         "Everything is set, and we just need to distribute the invitations," Jokowi informed the media.

         He revealed that there will be some eight thousand invitees, more than double the number of people invited to his eldest son's wedding held at the same venue in 2015.

JOKOWI SAYS INDONESIA USES HARD AND SOFT POWER IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 18, 2016 (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) shared Indonesia's experiences in dealing with terrorism at a special session on counterterrorism during the US-ASEAN Summit held in Sunnylands, California, the United States (US), on February 17.      The President emphasized the importance of moderation, peace, and tolerance during the session attended by President Barack Obama and leaders of the ASEAN member countries.     He outlined three points: promoting tolerance in the fight against terrorism and extremism, addressing the root cause of the problem, as well as creating conducive conditions.       "A combination of hard and soft power is needed to deal with extremism," the President, who was honored as the first speaker at the session, stated.