Jusuf Kalla Yakin The Figure Of The 2024 Presidential Can Bring A Prosperous Indonesia

Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA Former vice president Jusuf Kalla (JK) admitted that he already has a name to support in the 2024 presidential election. JK emphasized that his support would be given to Golkar Party presidential candidate Airlangga Hartarto, who currently serves as Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs.

JK assesses that there is a logical reason to support the figure of Airlangga as a presidential candidate. Namely, the reason for prosperity for Indonesia.

"Often people ask, "Who do you support?" I simply answer, I support the candidate Mr. Airlangga who can lead this country towards progress, just prosperity, that's all," said JK during the national gathering of the Jenggala Center at the JS Luwansa Hotel, Kuningan, South Jakarta, Friday night (16/09/2022).

JK, who is also the General Chair of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), also admitted that he had been asked who he would support for the 2024 presidential election in the DMI National Working Meeting. However, he admitted that he could not provide directions in the National Working Meeting, who would be supported for the 2024 presidential election.

According to him, all the names of candidates who appear to run in the presidential election are Muslim. The former chairman of Golkar emphasized that if all candidates for a candidate are Muslim, what must be a guideline is about the prosperity of Indonesia.

I can't give directions, because everything the candidates call Islam, all hajj. Where do we take sides? So, don't think about it, there is enough guideline. You think the value that can lead this country to just progress, prosperity," he said.

In his remarks, Jusuf Kalla emphasized that one of the names of the strong candidates who appeared as presidential candidates in the row of candidates was Airlangga Hartarto.

JK added that future leaders must also have good leadership, good experience, and have a good past.

"Of course one of the candidates is here, Mr. Airlangga, right," said JK, who was greeted with applause from the participants.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto during the Jenggala Center national friendship revealed good news regarding national economic growth.

Airlangga said that Indonesia's economic achievements were still able to grow impressively in the second quarter of 2022 by 5.44 percent (yoy). In fact, at this time, Indonesia is still overshadowed by the risk of global uncertainty.

In fact, Indonesia's achievements are better than other countries that began to experience economic slowdown in the same period, such as the United States, Germany, France, Spain, South Korea, and China. Airlangga said Indonesia's Payment Balance (NPI) in the second quarter of 2022 also recorded a surplus of US$2.4 billion after experiencing a deficit of US$1.8 billion in the previous quarter.

The increase in NPI's performance was supported by an increase in current transaction surplus and an improvement in the capital and financial transaction deficit. At the end of July 2022, Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves remained high at 132.2 billion US dollars.

"The trend of inflation of various countries in the world has experienced a significant increase due to the food and energy crisis. The United States has fallen to 8.3 percent, the European Union 9 percent, the UK 10 percent, and Germany 7.9 percent, while Indonesia in July 2022 is still 4.69 percent," said the Coordinating Minister for the Economy.

The chairman of the Golkar Party added that the quality of Indonesia's economic growth also continues to show a positive trend. This can be seen from the declining poverty and unemployment rate.

"The trade balance is in a surplus of 28 months in a row and this shows that Indonesia in its economic handling is on the right track. In August 2022, the trade balance is still in surplus at 5.76 billion US dollars and the non-oil and gas sector is the main key," said Airlangga.