Jokowi: Indonesia Becomes A Developed Country In 3 Future Leadership Periods

President Joko Widodo while attending the 20th IMM Congress in Palembang, Friday (1/3/2024). BETWEEN/Ahmad Rafli Baiduri

PALEMBANG - President Joko Widodo said that Indonesia could become a developed country in the next three leadership periods.

"According to international institutions, Indonesia is calculated to be a developed country in the next three terms of leadership," said Jokowi when opening the XX Congress of the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM) in Palembang, reported by ANTARA, Friday, March 1.

The President explained that in recent years the political landscape and global economy have changed due to technological disruption and also changes due to interaction through social media.

"Currently, geopolitical conditions are very difficult to calculate, even the global economy is full of uncertainty, difficult to calculate. However, with conditions of uncertainty and pressure in that position, Indonesia actually has opportunities and opportunities to jump to become a developed country," he explained.

However, Jokowi said that Indonesia's challenge to become a developed country is also very big. One of these challenges is the question of downstreaming.

"I give an example such as the 55-year-old Freeport mine which only exports copper, but we don't know if they export only copper or gold," he said.

According to him, it is not easy to build a smelter because so far Indonesia is too comfortable sending raw materials to Japan, Spain and so on. So, with the purchase of 51 percent shares of PT Freeport by SOEs, it will facilitate the downstream program through the construction of smelters.

"We have lost added value and job opportunities for the nation's children. Therefore, nine years ago I forced them to build a smelter industry and God willing, in June 2024 the PT Freeport smelter will operate and will recruit around 15 to 20 thousand children of the nation to work," he said.

Jokowi said downstreaming would not only be driven by the mining industry, but also plantations, agriculture, fisheries, and marine and other industries.

"We will downstream everything so that it can get added value and open job opportunities," he said.