Jakarta Globe, Aug 15, 2014
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| President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife Ani Yudhoyono at the legislative complex in Senayan on Friday. (Antara Photo/Ismar Patrizki) |
Jakarta.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivered the final state speech of his
ten-year tenure on Friday, thanking the electorate for its “support” and
painting a picture of Indonesia’s transformation during his decade at the State
Palace.
“On behalf
of of myself and my family I want to convey my gratitude and sincere
appreciation for the government and all Indonesians for your support and
participation in achieving the development agenda over the past ten years,”
Yudhoyono said during his speech to mark the 69th anniversary of Indonesian
independence.
Yudhoyono
specially mentioned public servants working in the far-flung corners of the
archipelago, from dusty frontier towns to remote jungle encampments.
“Thank you
for your dedication, which has been above and beyond the call of duty,”
Yudhoyono said.
The
outgoing president has overseen a near-fourfold increase in the size of the
economy, in dollar terms, during his decade in power, with GDP in 2013 recorded
at $868 billion, according to World Bank data.
Yudhoyono
said that while most Indonesians in the past were unable to read and write, the
country’s education system now comprised 200,000 schools, 3 million teachers
and 50 million students.
The
country, he said, had grown into a middle-income nation ranked as the
16th-largest economy in the world, and inside the top ten of states when
looking at Purchasing Power Parity, a hypothetical indicator that adds
foreign-exchange relative value.
“After
being an independent nation for almost seven decades, in this 21st century
Indonesia has become a united country that is peaceful and prosperous,” he
said.
Yudhoyono
also pointed to the country’s successful record on holding elections. He said his
administration had been a thorn in the side of corrupt officials — with some
277 public officials having been forced out by the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK).
The
president ended on an optimistic note, reminding the electorate of how far the
country had come in its democratization drive, and of the importance of
ensuring that the process continued.
“Let’s all
work together to guard the 2014 election process so that it stays peaceful and
constitutional, just like the previous election,” Yudhoyono said. “The 2014
election is not merely the fight of the elites.”
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