Indonesia’s president bids nation farewell in final speech to Parliament

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo expressed his gratitude to the people of this archipelago-country Friday as he bid them farewell in his final State of the Nation address before he steps down in October after a decade in office. 

Jokowi said Indonesia had made significant strides in infrastructure development, job creation, and economic stability under his leadership, while acknowledging the challenges facing the nation. 

In 2019, Jokowi became the country’s first civilian president to complete a full five-year term. 

“Today, Aug. 16, 2024, at this moment, the last time that I and [Vice President] Ma’ruf Amin stand here, allow us to express our deepest gratitude,” Jokowi said before the People’s Consultative Assembly in Jakarta. 

“We thank all of you, the people of Indonesia, wherever you are, who over the past 10 years have stood strong while facing challenge after challenge, step by step, and adapting to change after change, so we as a nation can arrive at this juncture,” he said.

Jokowi is poised to become the country’s first civilian to complete two full terms as president since Indonesia began its transition to democracy with the fall of longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.

He will be exiting office because of constitution-mandated term limits, but will hand over the reins in two months to Prabowo Subianto, a former army officer accused of human rights abuses. 

The outgoing leader, who was hailed as a progressive when he first took office in 2014, will be exiting amid criticism that his administration’s back slid on Indonesia’s hard-fought democratic gains. 

Jokowi’s two terms have been marked by ambitious infrastructure projects, which were a key focus of his address. He also launched an ambitious project to move the country’s capital away from Jakarta and start building a new capital, Nusantara, on Borneo island.

In his speech, Jokowi highlighted the construction of 366,000 km (227,420 miles) of village roads, 2,700 km (1,677 miles) of new highways, and the opening of 50 seaports and airports, among other developments.

These projects, he said, had significantly reduced logistics costs and boosted Indonesia’s global competitiveness.

Jokowi won the presidential election in 2014, promising progressive reforms and vowing to root out widespread corruption.

He began his political journey from modest roots as a furniture businessman, rising to become the mayor of Solo (Surakarta) and later governor of Jakarta. 

Critics argue that while his administration has focused on infrastructure development, it has come at a cost to democratic values, environmental sustainability and state institutions.

Critics have also pointed to a 2019 law that placed the previously independent Corruption Eradication Commission under presidential control, raising concerns about democratic governance.

Economic growth

Indonesia’s economic performance remained a point of pride for Jokowi, particularly in light of global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. 

The president noted in Friday’s speech that while many countries struggled to maintain growth, Indonesia’s economy consistently expanded at a rate of over 5%. 

He pointed out that eastern, less-developed regions such as Papua had fared even better, with growth rates above 6%, while North Maluku saw exceptional growth exceeding 20%.

Additionally, Jokowi said over 92 million people had received free health care and over 20 million students from low-income families had been supported by his Indonesia Smart Card program.

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Despite his successes, Jokowi acknowledged the limitations of his presidency. 

“Ten years is not enough to solve all of the nation’s problems,” he said. “We apologize to everyone that may have been disappointed, for every dream that remains unrealized.”

The outgoing president expressed confidence in his successor, Prabowo, the defense minister in the second Jokowi administration who is scheduled to be sworn in on Oct. 20 after winning the Feb. 14 presidential election. One of Jokowi’s sons will be the vice president under Prabowo.

“Allow me to pass the leadership baton to you. Allow me also to share with you the hopes and dreams of all Indonesian people,” Jokowi said, addressing Prabowo.

Wasisto Raharjo Djati, a political researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency, described Jokowi’s speech as an effort to solidify his legacy. He noted that it focused on infrastructure and economic achievements. 

“He wants to ensure that his name will be remembered,” Wasisto told BenarNews while pointing out that Jokowi avoided discussing his failings. 

“There were many mistakes made, which should have been explicitly addressed to the public, followed by an apology,” he said.

A 2023 Constitutional Court ruling, which many believe was tailored to accommodate Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, fueled debate about the fairness of Indonesia’s political system and the influence of familial ties.

Gibran, 36, was able to run for vice president because of the ruling lowering the age requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates who have held other elected offices.

Prabowo and Gibran ran away with the Feb. 14 general election against two other teams, collecting nearly 60% of the vote.

On Thursday, Prabowo’s coalition officially aligned with the NasDem Party, which had supported rival Anies Baswedan in the February election. The alignment means the coalition controls 52% of the parliament even before the expected addition of the country’s two leading Islamic parties.

That would leave Jokowi’s former party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), in the opposition.

Missing issues

Dominique Nicky Fahrizal, a political analyst from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies summed up what was missing from Jokowi’s speech.

“The speech failed to address issues such as law enforcement, legal certainty, anti-corruption commitments, a lean and competent cabinet, bureaucratic transformation, good governance and guarantees of fundamental civil liberties, including press freedom and the free flow of information,” Dominique told BenarNews.

Notably absent in Jokowi’s speech was a comprehensive account of progress in his earlier ambitious proposals regarding human development, often touted by the president as “mental revolution,” said Ismail Hasani, head of Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, an NGO.

“It [the speech] glossed over setbacks that were partially masked by a façade of economic success,” Ismail said in a statement.