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 IndonesiaJakarta (ANTARA) - 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.
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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.
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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.
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Translator: Desca L Natalia, Sri Haryati
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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