EKBIS.CO, JAKARTA -- Wakil Presiden Boediono membacakan pidato di ajang 'Indonesia Investment Summit 2013' yang digelar di Jakarta, Kamis (7/11).

Wakil Presiden Boediono diminta untuk membuka acara yang disponsori oleh Badan Koordinator Penanaman Modal (BKPM) seperti tahun 2012 lalu.

Sayangnya, pidato Boediono tahun ini tidak jauh berbeda dibandingkan pidatonya tahun lalu. Isu besar yang dipaparkan Boediono nyaris sama dengan yang ia paparkan pada pembukaan Indonesia Investment Summit 2012. Berikut isi lengkap pidato yang di copy-paste oleh orang nomor dua Indonesia itu.

Jakarta, 7 November 2013

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatulllahi wabarakatuh

 

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Jakarta.  I would like to congratulate BKPM - the Investment Coordinating Board - and the Financial Times for organizing this very important gathering.

As was the case last year, the main purpose of this one-day gathering is to share among the participants the most accurate, up-to-date and first-hand information about this country.  There is a lineup of distinguished speakers and resource persons from both the government  and the private sectors who will be excellent sources of such information.  I also hope that in this conference you can network with parties relevant for your business here.

The more useful  things to do for me in this short opening remark session is to repeat some of what I said last year and stress a number of points that might help your assessment of the potentials and prospects of this country.

First, we went through the 2008 global crisis basically unscathed.  Yes, there was some dent in our growth but it then quickly recovered.  

Until last year we had been able to maintain our growth at 6+ % while this year we will have to accept lower growth due to the rather depressed state of some of our main exports with some prospective recovery next year.  

Throughout the period, however, we are confident that the trends of steady decline in unemployment, poverty rates and our indebtedness to continue.  We will not change our commitment to prudent fiscal and monetary policies to securely maintain overall financial and economic stability.

 

But Indonesia is prospective for some other important reasons.  We are blessed with vast and varied natural resources.  Our domestic markets are large and growing fairly fast, thanks to the blossoming of our middle class and consuming groups.  

The age structure of our population is young, opening the significant potential for reaping demographic dividends in the years to come.

I must add one more reason why you ought to seriously consider Indonesia as your investment destination, and it has an important long run implication, namely political stability.  

Despite many initial hurdles, our Reformasi has succeeded in placing our democracy on the right track.  Our robust democracy has underpinned the generally peaceful implementation of so many elections and the smooth process of changes in governments, both at the national and regional levels. 

I believe it is because our democracy works that many corrupt practices recently uncovered and prosecuted.

But I readily admit that we have outstanding problems, and some of them need urgent solutions.  The most glaring one is deficiency in infrastructures.  

We honestly admit that, for a number of reasons, we are behind in infrastructure development, in virtually all sorts of infrastructure.  But in the past few years we have been working hard to do the catching up.  In the next two years, a number of important projects such as ports, airports, roads, railways, power, urban facilities, renewable energies and gas infrastructures will be completed and ready for operation.  Many more projects are being prepared.  We cordially invite and welcome your participation.

The second group of problems relate to regulations and legal certainty.  

I am fully aware that there are still complaints among business community here about these issues.  I hope in some of the sessions you get a brief on the progress in this area.  I can only assure you that the government is fully committed to continue improving the business and investment environment in this country. 

Let me close my remark with some comments on the issue of human resources.  First, lately there has been increasing activity of workers to demand better pay and work conditions.  I think peaceful demonstrations and even strikes must be accepted as part of our democracy at work.  

However, it is in the best interest of all of us, to amicably agree on a more permanent formula that fairly accommodate the interests of the nation, the workers and the business. It is also in the interest of all of us not to let excesses - in the form of intimidations, unlawful tactics and disruptive behaviors – to occur and that the rule of laws be duely upheld.

Another issue related to human resources is training.  The government is fully aware that shortage of labor with appropriate skills will become a serious bottleneck in the years to come, if we do not do something now. 

The government very much welcome suggestions from the business community on how to jointly anticipate this problem.

Finally with our praise to God Almighty, Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I declare the Indonesia Investment Summit 2013 officially open.

I wish you have fruitful discussions.

Thank you.

Wasalamu’alaikum Warrahmatullahi  Wabarakatuh.

Vice President Of The Republic Of Indonesia 

Boediono

Jakarta, November 6, 2012

 

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh 

 

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Jakarta.  I would like to congratulate BKPM - the Investment Coordinating Board - and the International Herald Tribune for organizing this very important gathering.

 

The main purpose of this two-day gathering is to share among the participants the most accurate, up-to-date and first-hand information about this country.  I cannot foretell what the lineup of distinguished speakers are going to say. But I must say that I fully subscribe to the main message of one of the topics that you will be discussing today, namely that maybe Indonesia constitutes one of the very few warm spots in this cold climate currently descending upon the world economy.

 

There are indeed compelling reasons for such views.  First, we went through the 2008 global crisis basically unscathed.  Yes, there was some dent in our growth but we then quickly and strongly recovered.  And again in the mid of the current ongoing crisis we have  been able to maintain our growth at 6+%while sustaining the steady decline in our unemployment and poverty rates. 

 

Throughout these difficult times, the financial and economic stability have been maintained and the downward trend in our indebtedness continues. We have learned the hard lessons from our own experience that as far as macroeconomic management is concerned there is no substitute for prudence.

 

But Indonesia could offer itself as an attractive spot for some other important reasons as well.  We are blessed with vast and varied natural resources and formidable human resources.  Our domestic markets are substantial and are growing fast, thanks to the blossoming of our middle class. The age structure of our population is young, opening the potential for reaping significant demographic dividends in the years to come.

 

I must add one more reason why you ought to seriously consider Indonesia as your investment destination, and it has an important long run implication, namely our political stability.  Despite numerous initial hurdles, our Reformasi has succeeded in placing and keeping our democracy on the right track.  Our  democracy is robust and it has so far underpinned the generally peaceful implementation of so many elections and the smooth process of changes in government, both at the national and regional levels.  I believe it is precisely because our democracy works that many corrupt practices have recently been uncovered and are being vigorously prosecuted. The drive for decentralization—as part of ourReformasi—has also yielded vibrant regional economies albeit with all of their challenges.

 

But of course Indonesia is not a country without problems, and some of them need urgent solutions.  The most glaring one is deficiency in infrastructures.  We must be honest and admit that, for a combination of reasons, we are behind in developing our infrastructures, virtually all kinds of infrastructures.  But in the past few years we have been working hard to  offset these problems. 

 

A number of important initiatives have been taken in developing the capacity of our ports, airports, roads, railways, power plants, urban facilities, renewable energies, gas infrastructures etc. More still need to be done and soon.  We cordially invite and welcome your participation in all areas of infrastructure development.

 

The second group of problems pertains to regulations and legal certainty, including inconsistent and overlapping policies and regulations at the central and local levels.  I am fully aware that there are still complaints among business community here about these matters.  I cannot deal on these problems in detail here, but I hope you will discuss them in the appropriate sessions with our Ministers.  I can only assure you that the government remains fully committed to systematically improve the business and investment environment in this country.  For this, I strongly urge that effective channels of communication between the business community and the government be maintained and enhanced.

 

Let me close my remark with some comments on the issue of human resources.  First, you may notice that lately there has been an increasingly assertive labor movement to demand better pay and work conditions.  I think we must accept it as a product of our democratization process, and as such we all should respect it accordingly. 

 

Improvements in the welfare of our working population is one of the top priorities of the government. 

 

Nonetheless, any excesses - in the form of intimidations, unlawful tactics and disruptive behaviors - must be avoided and the rule of laws must be upheld.  It is in the best interest of all to strike an appropriate balance between ensuring business activities to prosper and enhancing the welfare of the working population. One cannot have one without having the other.

 

The two goals must be achieved simultaneously. So, let us not kill (not even harass) the goose that lays the golden eggs. At the same time, let us also make sure that the benefits be shared fairly and equitably among all those who have contributed to the laying of the golden eggs.

 

Another issue related to human resources is training.  Adequate pool of labor with appropriate skills is key to growth and it will become a serious bottleneck in the years to come, and even sooner if we do not start dealing with it now.  We are currently reviewing all of our training programs and are seeking closer cooperation with the private sector in order to anticipate this impending problem.  The government is open to suggestions and welcomes cooperation from the business community on this matter.

 

I believe that with strong support and participation from all of you here those challenges can be overcome, enabling Indonesia to move forward to realize its fullest potential.  We invite you to be our partners in that exciting journey.

 

I wish you fruitful discussions and by saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I declare the Indonesia Investment Summit 2012 officially open.

 

I wish you have fruitful discussions.

Thank you.

 

Wasalamu’alaikum Warrahmatullahi  Wabarakatuh.

 

Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia

Boediono