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At Cendana Street, there was a big frown on Chairwoman of PKPB Tutut Soeharto’s at the standing ovation greeting President Try Sutrisno’s announcements on rice policy and the establishment of sago as staple food in Maluku, Irian Jaya, and East Nusa Tenggara.
“He’s butchering Dad’s policies”, she said.
“He’s playing it smart,
Mbakyu”, said Tutut’s brother Bambang Trihatmodjo.
“You’re defending him?” asked Tutut in disbelief.
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Mas Bambang has a point”, said Tutut’s brother-in-law and Chairman of the PKPB National Campaign Prabowo Subianto “People who think that the last 3 decades had been a success for Indonesia but who think that some changes need to be made around the edges are the people for whom the President holds strong appeal. That’s why all we’ve been hearing is “We’ve done well, we just need to do this and that to be even better.”
“How do we counter it?” asked Tutut again.
“We don’t”, replied Prabowo calmly “We’ve got to keep playing our game. We’ve got a well-funded organization around Indonesia, that’s what’s prompting him to use the State Address as a veiled campaign speech. We keep playing our game, we put as many PKPB members as possible in the DPR and MPR, and we increase your chances of winning.”
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Utilizing Our Natural Resources
Honorable members of the DPR,
Much has been made about our nation’s natural resources. People say that we only need to plant a seed into our soil, do nothing, and plants would sprout. If we were to believe that quote and all that has been said about our national resources then all of us in this building has no business being here because everything would be just fine.
As in life, we live not on how much potential we have but what we do with that potential. For our nation to successfully conduct national development, all of the natural resources that has been endowed to us by Almighty God must be placed at our disposal and utilized.
And so today I outline the Government’s aspirations as it relates to natural resources.
Natural Resources That Has Not Been Fully Utilized:
Fellow Indonesians,
Our nation comprises of more than 17,000 islands, 81,000 KMs of coastline and 62% of our total area comprise of water. Despite this and despite the song which says that “my ancestor was a sailor”, we forget or don’t acknowledge enough that we are a maritime nation. Calling ourselves an “agrarian nation”, the large natural resource that is our sea is lumped together as part of agriculture.
Our seas and the resources contained within are too important to be merely lumped together. This was why at a time when we were cutting spending, I had no second thoughts about forming a Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. We needed to secure and utilize our maritime resources. We also want fisheries to provide employment and a livelihood for those who choose fisheries as their path and for fisheries to provide an alternative source of food.
It is this Government’s intention that fisheries should have the same role in our seas that agriculture plays on land. To be sure, there is more to be done in this regard”
Applause by DPR members.
“Land is another natural resource we have yet to utilize properly; for the simple fact that the Government has not been good enough in the services it provide.
Since 1988, our nation has had a National Agrarian Agency (BPN). In its 13 years of existence, the BPN has issued 30 million land certificates. If as the numbers suggest we have an estimated 89 million land parcels, it means that we’ve only issued land certificates for 1/3 of our lands. The other 2/3 have gone unrecorded and this could may well lead to disputes.
In the last few years the Government has focused on issuing land certificates for houses and buildings developed and/or sold in the last two years as well as land to be released for infrastructure projects but we, in this case the BPN, need to do better. Not only in terms of simplifying and cleaning up procedures for the issuance land certificates but also further developing the BPN’s capabilities through computerization.
By providing for legal certainty on land we will make it possible for Indonesians to feel more secure in utilizing their land whether it be to build a property, open a business on it, rent the land or use it as a collateral for bank loans in order to open a business.
Such are our natural resources which has only begun to be utilized.
Maximizing Our Utilization of Natural Resources:
Mr. Chairman,
What natural resources we are already utilizing needs to be maximized so that it will make a large contribution to our development.
In tourism, this means promoting alternative tourist attractions, building infrastructure leading to these alternative tourist attractions, and supporting the tourism, hospitality, and related industries as it relates to these alternative tourist attractions. We do not want our tourism industry to only be reliant on one location if our goal, as stated in Repelita VII, is for tourism to be our largest foreign currency earner.
Maximalization also applies in mining. In the nearly 4 years since I had assumed office, the Government has gone ahead with projects to construct the second and third EXOR oil refineries. EXOR II will be in Sorong, Irian Jaya in cooperation with partners including Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and ground has been broken last year while EXOR III will be in Bintan, Riau with partners including British Petroleum with ground due to be broken late this year or early next.
Today I announce that we will also proceed with the fourth EXOR refinery. This refinery will be located in Dumai Riau and…. “
Applause by DPR members.
“…and our partners for this project will also include Brazil’s Petrobras. I must credit the Vice President at this point for his ongoing work in convincing the Brazilians to be involved with this project….”
Vice President JB Sumarlin smiled at the applause that came his way. Try turned to him and nodded.
“The Government attaches great importance to these projects in the field of energy for two reasons. First, it will allow us to export petroleum rather than merely crude oil. Second, though these refineries will be export-oriented, it will also allow us to meet more of our increased domestic requirements.
Fellow Indonesians wherever you may be,
The Government wishes to utilize and maximize the utilization of all of the nation’s natural resources in the interests of the Indonesian people. When these interests are not well-served, the Government reserves the right to take action on behalf of the Indonesian people.
Our forests, much as our other natural resources, are the third largest tropical forests in the world. It is a utilized natural resources in the pursuit of national development. Yet all of us here in this building and at home know that our forests are wrongly taken advantage of by those acting out of selfish short term interests, often times holders of forest concessions operating beyond the boundaries of what they are legally allowed to do and not following regulations.
In 1997, news came to light of a company based in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia was caught ferrying 3,000 undocumented logs from across the border in East Kalimantan. It was further found that the logs belonged to a “major concessionaire” in Indonesia and that these 3,000 undocumented logs only is only 1/7 of all undocumented logs smuggled from Indonesia to Malaysia to be then exported to Japan. The Government has conducted investigation and has determined that to this day, this concessionaire, identified as PT Yamaker has continued its illegal operations.
In July, as previously announced by the Government, a 12 month period has begun in which all forest concessionaires are given the opportunity to comply with existing laws and regulations before legal action is taken against those contravening the law.
With reference to PT Yamaker’s continuing non-compliance of the law and to show the seriousness of the Government to protect Indonesia’s natural resources, I announce today that the revocation of PT Yamaker’s Forest Concession Right and that as of 1st January 2002, these concession rights will be taken over by PT. Perhutani.”
The applause this time was led by ABRI’s DPR members led by the Leader of ABRI in the DPR Fachrul Rozi. The camera cut to Commander of ABRI Wiranto who was giving a strong applause at the cabinet ministers’ seats.
“I do not wish to be seen as handing out punishments or making examples. Only that now all forest concession holders engaging in smuggling, illegal logging, building illegal saw mills and other illegal activities will bring their arrangements to order.”
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Somewhere in South Jakarta, Chairwoman of PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri and her inner circle also watched the speech.
“That’s a big one”, said Secretary of PNI Sutjipto “He’s sending a message there: “If I’m willing to go after a forest concession holder affiliated to and backed by ABRI, I’m going to be even more willing to go after everybody else.”
“On the other hand”, began Taufiq Kiemas “He needs something big in natural resources to compensate for the fact that he couldn’t do anything about Freeport.”
“I’m curious what he bought ABRI off with”, said Treasurer of PNI Laksamana Sukardi “That’s over 1 million hectares of forest concessions he just revoked.”
“If our source in the Try camp is correct, those 5 new infantry brigades announced not too long ago was the price for this”, said Taufiq “Along with spending more on defense .”
Human Resources
Honorable members of the DPR,
Whilst our natural resources are plentiful, they will be of no use if there is no one to utilize and take advantage of it. Our lands will remain empty, our minerals will remain underground, and our industries unbuilt unless there are those among us with the necessary skills and integrity to use these resources well and for a greater good better than themselves. Increasingly, our emphasis on what we need to utilize most must shift from our natural resources to human resources.
Education:
Before we can utilize our human resources, we must develop it and key to this is our education.
The Government is committed to the following in education:
-Achieving Compulsory 9 Year Education by the end of Repelita VII:
During the Asian Financial Crisis, as part of the May 1998 Stimulus Package and to encourage economic activity, the Government has engaged in a massive program to build junior high school buildings; significantly expanding the physical infrastructure for this level of education. We have built on that by increasing teacher training. Post-crisis, the Government has been very heartened to find that people, especially of low income and in both rural and urban areas, are secure enough economically and enthusiastic enough to send their children to school.
Though the original aim has been for the end of Repelita VIII in 2009 Financial Year to achieve Compulsory 9 Years Education, the Government feels that the present circumstances should be taken advantage of and have made it the goal to ensure Compulsory 9 Years Education by the end of Replita VII in 2004.
-Vocational Education:
Beyond these 9 years of education, the Government will be emphasizing improvement of access towards vocational education. This is so that our young men and women have more opportunity to become skilled, making them a more attractive prospect for employment in factories, mines, hotels, and construction sites or as the case may be, the certification needed to be a service provider as they open their own car repair garage or hairdressing salon.
-Early Childhood Education:
When I assumed office, there are 115 state kindergartens across Indonesia mostly functioning as pilot projects and training centers for kindergarten teachers and operators. In my time as president, this number has not changed much. Compare this to the more than 41,000 private kindergartens across Indonesia and is it any wonder that early childhood education is still considered a luxury.
Early childhood education should not be a luxury. Instead, it should be an opportunity for all to begin early with their child’s personal development.
This is why in March this year, I have given approval to the Minister of Education to begin expansion of access to kindergartens across the nation. Teachers are receiving training and state primary schools around the nation have begun adding additional classrooms and expanding their playgrounds to facilitate kindergarten classes which will take place there. Reading, writing, and counting will be taught in kindergartens but the emphasis will be on moral education so that our children, from the earliest age, will be prepared to have morals and values so that they can become good citizens.
We have begun with 115 state kindergartens, our goal is by 2008, early childhood education, at the very least kindergarten, will available for all Indonesians…”
The President stops as another applause greeted this announcement.
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Working Lifes:
Honorable members of the DPR,
Whatever the choice they make in their working lives, I hope that, as much as possible, all Indonesians will come to have employment that is meaningful for themselves, the opportunity to use the skills which they have acquired, and through these things make a positive contribution to society whatever their line of work is.
The Government’s goal as it relates to the people’s working life is to ensure the best working conditions possible because employment is the means by which people earn income for themselves and their families.
In 1997, my predecessor’s Government had passed a Manpower Law. However controversy surrounding the process of passing this law along with the Government’s priority on making sure that Indonesians are able to be employed again as the economy recovers, has meant that this law has not implemented though at the same time it has not come info effect.
After conducting careful study, the Government has determined that not only that this law has not come into effect but that this law should not come into effect. Accordingly, with this address I have attached a letter to you, Mr. Chairman, asking for the DPR’s agreement that this law be revoked.
In its place, the Government intends to submit a new Manpower Bill by the end of the year. This bill will contain provisions regulating such things working conditions, minimum wages, and dismissals, the aim of which will be to establish an industrial system acceptable to workers and employers alike and which will facilitate the creation of employment.
Fellow Indonesians,
One phenomena which we all witnessed during the Asian Financial Crisis is that more of our fellow citizens, usually after losing their employment, have decided to create employment rather than look for it. Often understated is the role that small and medium enterprises have played in our economic recovery. These small and medium enterprises create employment initially the person setting up the business and as it grows, generating further employment for others and encouraging others to try the same.
It is the Government’s task, across the various departments and agencies, to facilitate the nation’s small and medium enterprises so that it can make its contribution to our nation’s economic life in accordance with Presidential Instruction 4/1995. I would like to emphasize two ways in which the Government can facilitate these enterprises:
First, though such services should be provided to all citizens not just small and medium enterprises, the Government can facilitate small and medium enterprises by cutting bureaucratic red tape; less waiting times, less bureaucratic hurdles to go through, and less forms to sign. The worst thing the Government can do at a time when people are interested in opening businesses is to get caught up in being bureaucratic.
Second, the Government can facilitate, though once again this treatment should be given to all citizens, small and medium enterprises by giving them legal certainty and equal opportunity. Whatever their size, the regional or ethnic origin of the owners, or how close they are to those in positions in power they must not be favored or discriminated against. They must have equal opportunity.
Health:
Mr. Chairman,
No less important than educating and skilling as well as facilitating our human resources is the task of ensuring their physical well-being. Without good health, Indonesians will not be able to be active and productive in their daily lives.
The Government’s health policy has been centered around ensuring that our population have access to primary healthcare treatment. Since the 1997/1998 financial year the number of our Community Health Centers has remained at 7,106. However since 1999, the Government has undergone a building program so that all of these Community Health Center buildings will have a second floor. This will increase each Community Health Center’s capacity to provide primary health care as there will be more room for patients though this will be augmented by the recruitment of additional staff.
By the end of the current financial year, over 3,200 Community Health Centers or nearly half of the all existing Community Health Centers… “
Applause from the DPR members.
“…of all existing Community Health Centers will have a second floor and the Government has every intention of completing this and enacting other measures to provide better health services to Indonesians.”
Managing Our Population:
Honorable members of the DPR,
Based on the results of last year’s census, at 204,9 million inhabitants, we are the fourth most populous nation on the planet. On the one hand this makes Indonesia an attractive place as a place to invest in given our potential as a market and as pool of labor.
For the Government, it means that our population must be managed.
In the short term this will be done through our continuing of the transmigration program. We will continue to encourage families to move from Java and settle them in the other major islands around the nation. By giving more priority to those intending to open a business at their new place of settlement and encouraging economic and infrastructure development at transmigration destinations specifically and outside of Java more generally, the Government is seeking to make transmigration an increasing attractive proposition for those wishing to make a new life for themselves and their family.
For the long term, the Government will continue with Family Planning. Though Family Planning campaigns have made as its slogan “Two Children Is Enough”, the nation’s fertility rate as of last year’s census stands at 2.7 babies so that it might be said that though this program has been successful in decreasing birthrates in its three decades of existence, it had not achieved the goal it had set out in its slogan. The goal of the Government with family planning will be to first to reduce fertility rate to at least 2.5 in the medium term and then to 2.0 in the longer term.”
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As DPR members around him gave an applause to another policy announcement by the President, DPR Member/Chairman of PPP Matori Abdul Djalil chuckled to himself. He had thought this would be a routine speech but had perked up when the President first openly criticized the Government’s “complacency” before the Asian Financial Crisis and then when one after another, the President announced goals that he would like to achieve across various areas of policy in the speech.
Matori had done the calculations in his head, there were 19 more months until the President’s current term comes to an end. It would definitely need more than 19 months for the President to implement all the things he was saying and now all this talk about the medium and longer term…
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That ran longer than I had planned so the section on society gets shifted to the next post.
The number of only 1/3 of all land are certified is from page 2 of
https://successfulsocieties.princet...es/LS_Land_Indonesia_Formatted_12.12.17_1.pdf The only difference is that the OTL numbers was reached in 2005 whereas the ITTL numbers is reached in 2001 in keeping with the “ITTL doing better than OTL” theme.
Story of Yamaker is from
https://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/articles/AObidzinski0701.pdf
Yamaker’s affiliation to ABRI was that it was a military cooperative. OTL, its forest concession was revoked by Habibie in 1999.
Compulsory 9 Years Education originally being envisioned to be completed in 15 years comes from Wardiman Djojonegoro’s memoirs (
https://books.google.co.id/books?id=RCdIDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=wardiman+djojonegoro&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixkKPh0pDuAhUo6nMBHZHqCmoQ6AEwAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=wardiman djojonegoro&f=false), there’s some parts here where complains about not getting enough funding to achieve Compulsory 9 Years Education though it’s somehow one of the pages that was not scanned. I would point to p. 309 to see some of his concerns.
Numbers of state kindergartens vs private kindergartens circa 1997/1998 comes from
https://www.bappenas.go.id/id/data-...rtanggungjawaban-presiden-tahun-1993-sd-1998/ Chapter XVIII.
The “Puskesmas has second floor” program comes from ITTL. Please go to Threadmark 47 for the beginning of this program.
Retconned Indonesia’s ITTL Population in 2000 from 202,3 million to 204,9 million so that the decrease in birthrate is not so drastic. OTL population is 206 million.
The 1997 Manpower Law is controversial not only because it faced strong resistance from workers but also because when it was formulated, then-Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief allegedly used Rp. 7,1 billion of Jamsostek money to help “smooth” the passing the law. When news began to break of this issue, Soeharto said that he would handle it though nothing ever came of it. Wahid also tried to prosecute but the prosecution was ceased in 2000.
The ITTL fertility rate being at 2.7 is based on
https://www.bappenas.go.id/files/da...erah/Statistik 70 Tahun Indonesia Merdeka.pdf where the fertility rate in 1997 is 2.8 with the assumption that the fertility rate has decreased since 1997.