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;JP; ANPAa..r.. speech-Presidential-Susilo

JP/3/SPEECH

Now is the time for action: President Susilo

Today we are indeed more grateful to God Almighty. Having gone a long election process, today before the members of the People's Consultative Assembly, I and Mr. Jusuf Kalla and took our oaths as the President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia for the period of 2004-2009. Our inauguration today marked the beginning of a new government, which received a mandate directly from the people. Let me take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the Indonesian people, for your participation support and trust.

Allow me -- personally and on behalf of the Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, as well as on behalf of the entire nation -- to express our deepest gratitude and highest appreciation to Madam Megawati Soekarnoputri and Mr. Hamzah Haz, for their greatest efforts in preserving the constitution, leading the government, and guiding the nation successfully during their tenure as the President and Vice President 2001-2004 respectively.

Indeed, this country and the entire nation shall remember and cherish all great deeds of President Megawati and Vice President Hamzah Haz. In the spirit of our nation's highest tradition, I, as the President of the Republic of Indonesia, take my pledge to always preserve my good ties of brotherhood with Madam Megawati Soekarnoputri and Mr. Hamzah Haz, as our two national figures.

All of us must remember the wisdom of our great founding father, the former president Sukarno, who once reminded us: "United we stand, divided we fall."

Today, we have remarkably passed one of the most important tests of our history.

First, our nation has successfully undertaken the national elections in a democratic, fair, orderly, and peaceful manner. This year's elections are by all means the most ambitious, most difficult, and most complicated electoral marathons in the world, and yet, we are successful in conducting those elections.

Indeed, we are all proud of our electoral commission (KPU), who managed to undertake this difficult task independently, professionally and responsibly.

Second, as we have just witnessed in today's solemn ceremony, our nation has just accomplished the process of power transfer constitutionally, democratically, orderly and peacefully. Thank God, our nation is now more matured in democracy, and able to build a more matured political culture.

With such a great success, not only are we successful in securing our step as a big democracy, but we also have become a model for the world's community of democracies.

Our great nation has undertaken two elections since reformasi: In 1999 and in 2004. In any democratic transition of any country, the second election is normally regarded as the critical one, the litmus test for the maturity of democracy.

With the formidable success of our elections this year, we have indeed made one forward step in realizing a political modernization in Indonesia.

Through our legislative election this year, we have also made our one step ahead in realizing political regeneration in Indonesia, as we can clearly witness through new and fresh faces in our honorable People's Assembly.

Thank God, the 2004 elections are now over. It is the time for us to walk together for our future. We have passed our moment of competition, now it is time for unity. Our moment of words and promises are now over, as it is our time to make real deeds and works. It is our time to unite in creation.

It is the time for us to concentrate our determination, spirit, thoughts and attention to overcome various challenges and problems that we are now facing -- the challenge and problems faced by our people, our nation and country. We must overcome those challenges together. Indeed, the government that I lead cannot possibly overcome them with the support and participation of our people, and all national components.

As we all know, to the founding father of this nation, their biggest challenge was to set our nation and people free from colonialists. To the subsequent generation, including ours, the greatest challenge is to free our people from poverty, ignorance, backwardness, and all problems that prevent the growth of our people's ability. More specifically, the challenge of our era is to consolidate our democracy and accomplish our agenda of reform.

A consolidated democracy that is continually developed will provide us a solid ground for the life of our nationhood and statecraft. Within such a more democratic life, we can manage to successfully implement our national agenda, including the accomplishment of various agenda of reform.

With our perseverance, belief and hard work, God willing, our nation and beloved country will continue to grow -- people will be more prosperous within a safer and just life. And, with all those conviction, I am confident that our nation will become a respected nation, and be respected by other nations in the world.

Today's mood of happiness is engulfed by huge optimism. However we must remember that we will go through a difficult way and will face a huge challenge ahead:

o Our economic growth this year, which is still far less than 7 percent, is definitely inadequate in generating more employment. o More than 10 million of our fellow countrymen are still out of jobs. o Needless to remind you that 16 percent of our people are still living below the poverty line. o Although our debt to the Gross National Product ratio tends to decline, yet the debt problem will likely continue to be a huge problem to our economy. o Our brothers and sisters in Aceh and Papua still live in anxiety. o Security in Poso and Maluku is still well under control, although not entirely recovered. o Corruption, collusion and nepotism are still rampant and continue to be our systematic problem. o The international situation is far from settled. o The price of oil continues to rise well above the assumptions of our national budget. o And, the imminent threats of terrorism and other forms of transnational crimes will continue to haunt us.

Let us work harder to overcome all those difficult challenges.

Tomorrow morning, on Oct. 21, God willing, I will inaugurate the members of my cabinet for 2004-2009. Soon after that, we will immediately start to formulate and implement the initial steps of government policy.

In the next few months, my administration will concentrate on the domestic problems. o My administration will stimulate the economy in order to achieve a higher economic growth that can absorb more employment and help alleviating poverty. o My administration will continue to adopt and implement an open economic policies in order to integrate the economy to the regional and international economies. In doing so, the government will focus on the short and medium term agenda in enhancing productivity and competitiveness. o My administration will encourage more investors to build our infrastructure. o My administration will actively launch an anti-corruption program, which, I, myself, will lead. o My administration will give a special attention on the handling of conflicts in Aceh and Papua. o My administration will prioritize and improve government's policies on education and health sectors. o My administration will intensify constructive dialogs with economic actors, especially our business communities, including investors, whom I really expect to be the engine of our economy. o My administraiton will do our utmost to establish clean and good governance, which is responsive towards the public's needs and aspirations.

But let me remind you: It is impossible to resolve all of those complicated problems within 100 days. It is not as easy as turning the palm of our hands.

But I have a strong conviction that our determination and goodwill are far more superior to the problems we are facing. At this point, our character as a great nation is truly under a severe test.

For a great nation, the harder the test, the higher its tenacity; the more difficult the ordeal, the stronger its faith; the stronger the storm, the stronger its solidarity; and the more difficult challenge to our nationhood, the stronger our sense of unity. Let us prove and build our greatness as a nation.

God willing, with our solidarity and hard work, we will be able to create a better condition for Indonesia, safer, more just and more prosperous.

With my unfettered feelings and unfeigned confidence, today we are opening a new chapter in the history of our nation. This is the time to greet a new dawn.

To all of the Indonesian people, wherever you are, I would like to wholeheartedly express my sincere gratitude for your support and confidence in myself and Mr. Muhammad Jusuf Kalla. Although I am now the President, but I am not different from each and every one of you -- I am just an ordinary citizen from an ordinary family, born and raised by the state and community.

With the mandate I received directly from you, I am determined to become not only the President of the Republic of Indonesia, but also the President of the Indonesians, all of the Indonesian people.

I will keep this noble political contract with the people. I will dedicate my every thought, energy and time to promote and protect each Indonesian soul.

To all members of the House of Representatives and the Regional Legislative Councils, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and I have a strong commitment to cooperate with all of you for the sake of our national interests -- the interests of the Indonesian people as emanated in our constitution and laws that we must all duly uphold.

For that matter, I sincerely urge that we can work together in overcoming various difficult problems that we are facing. The people surely demand us to work closely in creating more jobs, alleviating poverty, redeveloping our infrastructure and many other problems faced by the people. The people need our leadership and role-model.

To all civil servants -- especially civilian civil servants employed at the central and regional levels, to our men and women in uniform, to our policemen and policewomen, to the employees of state owned enterprises -- I ask you all to welcome this new government with new spirit, improved services and to create a better life, together with all of the people. You hold a responsibility of many important things of our life. Let us do our tasks and duty with a full sense of responsibility. We are all public servants. The government and the entire civil servants are indeed here to assist and serve the public, the country. Keep up the spirit to serve. Any country can be successful only if it is supported by clean, professional state apparatuses, responsive towards the aspiration and development of its people.

To all of our friends all over the world, please accept our open arms of friendship.

My administration will continue to uphold the free and active principle of foreign policy and Indonesia is determined to become the voice that promotes peace, increase prosperity and defends justice. Indonesia will continue to grow as a democratic, open, modern, pluralistic and tolerant nation.

I would like to especially express my highest appreciation to all of our state guests from our friendly and neighboring countries for their presence in the inauguration ceremony at the Assembly/legislature building this morning, have truly given us a remarkable honor.

Indeed, we are honored by the presence of His Excellency, the Honorable Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia; His Majesty Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah of the Brunei Darussalam; His Excellency, the Honorable Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore; His Excellency, the Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia; and His Excellency, the Honorable Mari Alkatiri, the Prime Minister of Timor Leste. We would also like to express our gratitude to the leaders of friendly countries who have sent their special envoys, from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Personally, and on behalf of the entire Indonesian people, I am truly delightful and honored for his Excellencies' attention to the new government that I lead.

Having been inaugurated as the President and Vice President this morning, I will focus my attention to finish the composition of Cabinet for 2004-2009, which God willing will be announced tonight (Wednesday night). Furthermore, God willing, I will inaugurate this Cabinet (on Thursday), with a great hope that this Cabinet can immediately adapt and work well.

Let me ensure you that I and the entire new government will work hard to keep the people's trust. I accordingly ask for your blessing, support and trust of the entire Indonesian people and the whole nation in order to realize the constitutional calls within the next five years. May Allah bless us all with guidance and strength.