Jokowi's Answers At Length To Respond To Anwar Abbas's Criticism At The MUI Congress

Photo: BPMI Setpres/Muchlis Jr

JAKARTA - President Jokowi's remarks, which have been prepared in pages by his staff, have been marginalized. Jokowi chose not to read the prepared remarks at the opening of the 2nd People's Economic Congress of the Indonesian Ulema Council.

"Earlier, I prepared many welcome materials like this," said Jokowi at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, Friday, December 10.

Before Jokowi's opportunity, it was the Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Buya Anwar Abbas who spoke first. Anwar Abbas reminded the government to pay attention to micro and ultra micro businesses. According to him, these two business classes do not yet have access to adequate financing to reach banks.

Without waiting long, Jokowi immediately answered all the criticisms and explained at length what the government had done to promote micro and ultra micro enterprises.

Earlier I prepared many welcome materials like this. But after I heard earlier, Dr. Buya Anwar Abbas said that, I'm not holding this either. I will answer what has been conveyed by Dr. Buya Anwar Abbas. It would be better in my opinion, in this excellent forum.

The first is related to land, with land, land tenure, land tenure. What Buya said is correct. But I'm not the one to share. Yes I have to answer. I have to answer. And, we are currently in the process of distributing agrarian reform whose target we have reached 4.3 million hectares of the 12 million target that we want to distribute. And now, we already have a land bank. We will look at the HGU (Hak Guna Usaha), HGB (Hak Guna Bangunan), which are abandoned, all of them. Maybe God willing, I have started this month or maybe next month I will start to remove one by one that is neglected, because there are so many. The concession has been given, it's been more than 20 years, more than 30 years, but it's okay, so we can't give it to others.

But if you are all… I once offered this, at Persis's meeting in Bandung. Because someone asked about the problem, I answered the same. If you, ladies and gentlemen, need a very large amount of land, please tell me. I'll look for it. I will prepare. How much? 10,000 hectares? Not square meters, (but) hectares. 50,000 hectares? But with a calculation the proposal is also feasible. This means that there is a clear feasibility study, what will the goods be used for, the land. I will give. I will try to provide that, God willing. Because I also have a lot of ingredients in stock, but I don't open them anywhere. If you have one, please, please. Come to me, accompanied by Buya Anwar Abbas.

Yes, me too… you think I didn't think so? Gini Ratio when I entered 0.41 more. Ladies and gentlemen. Such a gap came to mind. Don't think I didn't think about it! Thoughts. Because I feel, so the difficult person I feel right. And it's good to be a person who is not difficult indeed. Please. What for? But don't say, "Sir, I'm the only one in Kalimantan", no. I decide. "Oh, you need 10,000 (hectare), yes I will give it, there is this in Sumatra". "Oh, 50,000 (hectare), I have this in Kalimantan, please". With a feasibility that the calculations and calculations are clear. Don't let us give it away, suddenly that one is taken again. Bought that one again. Why do I give concessions for that? And it's happened dozens of times like that.

There will be a lot of our land bank later. There is already a command, there will be a lot that we will revoke. "Enough, no no, no, it's been more than 20 years, more than 30 years, no". Put it here, into the land bank, be it HGU or HGB. So that all the land we have is really productive.

The second is about micro-enterprises, ultra-micro-enterprises. Indeed, many do not know but later, in January, February, if I may invite later from the MUI, Mr. Buya Anwar Abbas will also lead, it's okay, whether it's 5 people, or 10 people. I will invite you, what we have built called Mekaar (Building a Prosperous Family Economy) PNM, that (in) 2015, we could only collect 500 thousand micro-enterprises, ultra-micro-businesses, whose loans were three to five million (rupiah). One million, two million, three million, up to five million (rupiah). Now it has… its customers have reached 9.8 million (people). Grameen Bank, Grameen Bank, the total is only 6.5 million (customers), he got the Nobel (award). We have 9.8 million (customers) but we didn't get the Nobel.

I will show you how Mekaar, Mekaar's PNM works, which are grouped into small groups and then work together, if one cannot make installments, who will help. This system has developed. God willing, until (in) 2024, we will reach our target (namely) 20 million (customers). But it's still a lot. Because we have 64 million small, micro, and ultra-micro businesses. The support of our informal economy is indeed very, very large.

I am also sad to see the portion of our bank loans too… MSME businesses are only given 20 percent, the rest is the big one. We can't even force it because “Sir, our work is based on calculations and feasibility studies, all of which are calculated. You can't push us", "No, no, no, I'm not asking for a lot, I'm asking for a minimum of 30 percent but it's increased from 20 (percent)". This is still a tug-of-war, but you can't force it. Our bank can't. "Sir, we are working with high prudence, prudence, you can't force us with targets like that. BRI may be able to go more than 80 percent to small businesses, micro businesses, ultramicro businesses, but we can't do anything else because we really…our base is in big businesses and medium businesses”.

These are the difficulties we have. But God willing, later with Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), which is big, which from small to middle to big, this can be served by BSI. Because now it has entered the big 8 banks with stronger capital strength. And we hope that later, whether it is related to the halal industry, related to halal tourism, which is related to halal products, which if we look at the very large share, this can be served by a bank that is also big. In the past, it only served small things. No matter how many small ones are served, the big ones can also be served by Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI).

I am also happy, this is because I have answered the two things earlier. I would like to give the position of our Islamic economy which in 2014 was in the 9th ranking position. (Year) 2020, 2021, we have risen to 4th in the world. My estimate is, God willing, in three or four years it will enter (rank) 2nd or 1st. If growth, if the growth is like what we see now. It will be very fast. The market goes to all countries.

I think this is the development of our sharia economy in these six-seven years, and we hope that with the largest Muslim population in the world, amounting to 87 percent or 207 million people, we have committed to become the center of the sharia economy in 2024. And we will strive hard therefore. What I said earlier about the development of the halal industry, the development of the Islamic finance sector, the development of the Islamic social finance sector, the development of sharia entrepreneurship, we will all encourage. Because indeed we are a country with the largest Muslim population in the world and I keep repeating this everywhere so that other countries know that Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world.

Especially since last December 1st, we have become the G20 Presidency, the G20 Chair. This means that we are the leaders of the big countries, developed countries with a GDP (gross domestic product), with a GDP (gross domestic product) that is included in the top 20 (world). We are now at number 16. But as previously stated by Buya, that God willing, in (years) 2040-2045, indeed McKinsey's calculations, calculations from the World Bank (World Bank), from the IMF, indeed we will enter 4th big (world) but that's also not a small obstacle, the challenge is also not an easy challenge. There are conditions for us to get there. So that our estimated GDP at that time, in (years) 2040-2045, was approximately 23 thousand to 27 thousand (US dollars) of income per capita of our society, a very large number of course. But it takes all of our hard work.

I think that's all I can say at this auspicious occasion. And by saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, the 2nd Community Economic Congress of the Indonesian Ulema Council, this afternoon I declare that it is open.