NEXT GOVT EXPECTED TO CONTINUE PREVIOUS ECONOMIC PROGRAMS

By Andi Abdussalam

       Jakarta, Oct 18 (Antara) - The next government under Joko Widodo, who will be sworn in as Indonesia's seventh president on Monday, is expected to continue development programs begun by outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

         The continuation of the programs, such as the Master Plan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development (MP3EI), along with other people-oriented programs, is important for the people and for the sustainability of the nation's development.
         "Development is a long process. It is not an event that lasts only for one or two years. In view of that, our energy, spirit, and life must be aimed at sustainable development efforts. It is not only the environment that must be preserved, but also the development efforts in stages," outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated during a national meeting with regional civilian and military officials in Jakarta on Wednesday.
        Further, outgoing Vice President Boediono also asked upcoming vice president Jusuf Kalla to continue people-oriented programs, such as the rice for the poor scheme, in an effort to improve the welfare of those at the bottom of society.
        The MP3EI program is one of President Yudhoyono's main development programs in the economic field, which must be continued by the next government.

 
        "To ensure the sustainability of development, we must objectively conduct evaluations. Every president and government has achievements to its credit and some unfinished programs. In line with the essence of sustainability, the achievements must be preserved, while improved efforts are required to achieve those programs that have not yet been accomplished," Yudhoyono emphasized.
         According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Chairul Tanjung, Joko Widodo (better known as Jokowi) will continue the MP3EI development program.
         "Pak (Mr) Jokowi has promised to continue the MP3EI program, as the people have felt its benefit," Chairul Tanjung said in Ambon, Maluku Province, on Wednesday.
         The coordinating minister explained that in a meeting with governors, which was also attended by President-elect Jokowi, President Yudhoyono expressed his hope that the MP3EI projects would be continued, based upon existing plans, until 2025.
         Governors supported the idea for the continuation of the MP3EI program.
         "In the meeting, Pak Jokowi responded to expectations raised by governors, saying he will resume the MP3EI scheme based upon current plans because the people have widely felt its benefit," Chairul Tanjung noted.
         The minister said that since the master plan was inaugurated in 2011, the MP3EI projects have undergone hundreds of groundbreakings, which up to August 2014 have reached 383 projects worth Rp863.5 trillion.
         A total of 174 projects were investments in the real sector designed to serve as new pillars for economic development worth Rp441.2 trillion. There were also 209 investment projects valued at Rp422.3 trillion.
         The projects are scattered in six economic corridors of the MP3EI scheme. The Sumatra Corridor has 65 projects, with an investment value of Rp134 trillion, the Java Corridor has 102 projects worth Rp309.7 trillion and the Kalimantan Corridor has 94 projects with an investment amounting to Rp177.3 trillion.
         Also, a total of Rp69.9 trillion was invested in 59 projects in the Sulawesi Corridor, Rp53.8 trillion with 33 projects in Bali and Nusa Tenggara Corridor, as well as Rp187 trillion with 36 projects was invested in the Maluku Corridor.
         Of the investment, about 26.2 percent came from state-owned companies (BUMN), 37.9 percent from private firms and 15.6 percent from the government's state budget.
         Besides the MP3EI development projects, the next government is also expected to continue various other people-oriented programs. Outgoing Vice President Boediono has asked Vice President-elect Jusuf Kalla to carry forward programs seeking to help improve the welfare of those at the bottom of society.
         "Just now, I was briefed by the vice-president about a number of programs his government had been carrying out and has to be continued. I agreed that good programs must be continued," Vice President-elect Jusuf Kalla stated at a joint press conference with Boediono, after their meeting on Friday.
         Kalla remarked that although the next government might make changes to some of the welfare programs, it will certainly continue them.  Boediono, on the other hand, said they also discussed with Kalla various completed and unfinished projects.
        "I hope that the programs that have not been finished will be handled well by Pak JK (as Kalla is popularly called)," he added.
         One of the people-oriented programs is the Rice-for-Poor People (Raskin) scheme.
         Coordinating Minister for People¿s Welfare Agung Laksono expressed hope the next government will continue the Raskin program, which has been viewed as having successfully reduced the number of poor people in Indonesia.
         He stated that the Raskin scheme is a subsidized rice program, offering a low price to poor families. The government provides this program to help alleviate the burden of the poor in their daily lives.
         "Therefore, we hope this program will be continued by the next government in an effort to reduce the number of poor people in Indonesia," Agung Laksono noted.
          He said that the program had reduced the number of targeted poor families (RTS-PM) from 18.5 million in 2009 to 17.5 million in 2010 and 15.5 million in 2013.
          Thus, the next government under Jokowi is expected to direct attention to people-oriented programs as part of the efforts to improve their welfare.
          Political observer Ray Rangkuti urged President-elect Jokowi to focus on prosperity development programs, rather than responding to the pressures of political camps.
          "Now is the time for Jokowi to fully use the people's mandate for improving public prosperity. He should not waste time on pondering political pressures from political camps," Ray Rangkuti told a dialog of the people's mandate on Monday last week.***2***

(T.A014/INE/f001)

(T.SYS/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 18-10-2014 11: