Indonesia ATL: The Presidency of Try Sutrisno (1997-)

[Kosaki_MacTavish]

12th October 2002:

The President began walking and waving and talking to the nightgoers who were there (“Just wanted to see what Bali at night is like.”). By the time the President was walking past Paddy’s Pub, it had become official news that the President was there. Those who were not too busy partying stuck their heads out and those who knew who he was raised a beer glass in his direction. From across the road at Sari Club, there were those who wanted to get a look as well. The two policemen who had talked to the President had called for assistance and the local police arrived on scene to provide extra security.

“It’s 11.05 PM and the night is still young as far as these guys are concerned”, muttered the President to his bodyguards “Guess I’d better get back.”

Just noticed this one detail when rereading the TL again.

Well played.

 

[GSD310]

“Feeding the People:
Mr. Chairman,

It is a cliché to say that our nation is an agrarian nation. But that is indeed the case with most of our population, even with the level of economic development that we are at, still making their livelihood in the agricultural sector.

During the Asian Financial Crisis, agriculture acted as a shock absorber for when those living in our cities became unemployed, some returned to their village and got employment there as they rode out the crisis. Even more than a shock absorber, agriculture did its part in supporting the economy even when the economy was still in crisis. As the value of the Rupiah declined, our agricultural commodities became cheaper and our exports from this sector spiked. We have much to be thankful for from this sector during the crisis.

With the Asian Financial Crisis over, the Government’s main priority in agriculture feeding our people. Feeding our people is a matter of fulfilling a basic need and fulfilling this basic need is unavoidably linked with rice production.

Over the course of the current term, and even with the El Nino phenomenon at the beginning of it, has increased steadily from 49 million tonnes in 1997 to 58.7 million tonnes in 2002. At the same time our rice imports has fluctuated. It was 1.8 million tonnes in 1999, 900 million tonnes in 2000, 1.2 million tonnes in 2001, and 1.6 million tonnes in 2002. Such numbers indicate to us that while production has increased, consumption of rice has followed suit and has even been in excess of its production. This increased rice consumption can be attributed to Indonesians having more disposable income and being able to consume more rice. Everyone…”

There was murmuring from the PKPB’s MPR Delegates and someone was heard to have muttered loudly enough “failed at rice”. At this audible muttering, the PKPI’s MPR Delegates grew restless as they glared at their PKPB counterparts. From the PKPI’s section of the MPR, someone was heard to scoff “Blind loyalty to rice, just like blind loyalty to Soeharto…” and now it was the PKPB Delegates’ turn to stare dangerously at their PKPI counterparts. The President closed his eyes in response to the chatter.

“The President will be heard in silence as he delivers his Accountability Address”, said Chairman of the MPR Matori Abdul Djalil “Let’s all be worthy of being called Honourable Delegates here…”

The MPR Building quietened down.

"Kepada Saudara Presiden, kami persilahkan kembali..." Matori said to the President as the latter open his eyes and continued.

“Everyone is consuming rice from people living in huts in the most isolated villages to those eating at luxury restaurants in the capital. At the same time, however, the question needs to be asked whether we can continue on this path with rice.

The answer the Government has attempted to provide is to diversify staple food consumption in our country. For this purpose we did not need to reinvent the wheel. There are regions in our country where the staple food of choice is sago but where, in the past, it is the production and consumption of rice that has been prioritized.

Taking effect in 2002, the Government has begun to prioritize the production, distribution, and consumption of sago over rice in the provinces of Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, and Irian Jaya. We have also established a PTPN unit which will focus on sago. Overall however, it will require more time for us to see the results of this path we have embarked on with sago.

It is not only in staple foods where the Goverment has decided to be more active in diversifying food consumption. As our people become affluent, not only will they consume more rice but they are looking for more things on their plate whether that be meat, fish, eggs, milik, fruits, and vegetables. Though enterprising member of our society have identified this opportunity, the Government is looking to encourage more people in this direction and we have identified animal husbandry as a priority sector to be given lenient credit conditions in our January 2002 Policy Package.

I believe that rice has a vital place in our nation and in our society and will continue to be so. While we have abolished monopolies on the import of soybeans and have deregulated the trade of orange, cashew nuts, and vanilla, we have retained existing tariffs on rice and the import of rice continues to be controlled by Bulog.

But I equally believe that the Government must take the next necessary steps in agriculture policy by diversifying the production of staple foods and encouraging the production of more kinds of food. In turn taking such steps will involve tilting the balance of the Government’s focus and priority away from rice.

Strong Industry, Strong Nation:

Honorable Delegates,

The industrial sector of the economy also went through tough times during the Asian Financial Crisis. While the handicraft and furniture industries prospered from our exports becoming cheaper, our manufacturing industries struggled as domestic consumption weakened and production lessened leading to mass lay-offs especially in 1998. The corner was turned in 1999 as lay-offs decreased and factories began employing and sometimes re-employing the same employees they had laid off earlier. By 2000, factories were functioning at near-full capacity again as domestic consumption recovered and 2001 and 2002 saw manufacturers open new factories and plants so that they can expand production.

The Government’s role in industrial policy is manifold. There are occasions where the Government provided stimulus for activity in the industrial sector. When the economy had not recovered, we lowered tariffs and import duties for such things as spare parts for cars and buses, fishing boats and heavy equipment. When our economy was in a better condition, the Government lowered tariffs on textile industry-related machinery and abolished luxury taxes on certain electronics and consumer goods to encourage consumption of our industrial goods and thereby encourage production.

On other occasions, the Government’s role is to provide guidance to the industrial sector so that our industrial sector becomes even more stronger. Our automotive and electronics industry has had great years, that much is not in doubt. But we are now encouraging those in manufacturing, both domestic and foreign alike, to take up opportunities in the automotive and electronics components industries. Not only are these opportunities that manufacturers should not miss out on, it will mean that we will be importing less automotive and electronics components from abroad.

On yet still other occasions, the Government has led from the front. Among national projects inaugurated throughout the course of the term are cement factories to support our construction industry and fertilizer factories to support our agricultural industry while among those still in the pipeline are a bauxite smelter in West Kalimantan and a steel plant in South Kalimantan.

Of course, when talking about industry, we cannot neglect to mention our strategic industries. The Government has revitalized and made our strategic industries more competitive by phasing out subsidies in 2000. Standing before this lectern, I can point to some achievements: Pindad rifles being standard weaponry in all of our Army battalions and being exported abroad to Sri Lanka as well as the IPTN’s N-250 aircraft receiving its FAA certification in 2002 and receiving orders both domestically and overseas…”

There was applause from the PKPI’s MPR delegates at this last piece of news. Television cameras zoomed in on BJ Habibie nodding his approval as he sat with the MPR’s Regional Delegates representing South Sulawesi.

“Our industry is strong and becoming stronger and this is a reflection of the fact that our nation is strong and becoming stronger.

Investment and Infrastructure:

Mr. Chairman,

The strength of our economy is not reliant on agriculture and industry alone but also by the economic activity that goes on within it. The Government’s role in this regard is to use its capacity to make policy to encourage economic activity.

In domestic investment, our aim is to encourage economic activity not only in Jakarta but across all of Indonesia. We therefore focused on already established domestic investors and encouraging them to expand. In 2000, we established a tax holiday program for domestic investors: 1 year tax holiday for expansion within Java and Bali, 2 years for expansion to Sumatra, 3 years for expansion to Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and the Nusa Tenggara islands, 4 years for Irian Jaya, Maluku, and East Timor. For this tax holiday program we prioritized food and beverages as well as hotels.

The results have been encouraging and I would like to mention two success stories. The Santika Hotel chain is set to have its hotels in half of the nation’s provincial capitals by 2005 or 2006 while the Solaria Restaurant Chain, which has 10 outlets in 1998, has expanded to 40 outlets since 2000 including outlets in Ujung Pandang. The construction of these hotels and outlets generates economic activity, when these hotels and outlets carry on with their core business they generate economic activity, and by being successful businesses, these hotels and outlets will generate further economic activity and this is good for the region it’s in and for the nation as a whole.

Another area where we have eased barriers is in domestic investment is in the airline industry. Beginning in 1999, companies owning a minimum of two aircrafts whose flight worthiness has been certified will be permitted to establish an airline, choose what routes it wants to fly in, and decide what price they want to sell their tickets so long as it is within a floor and ceiling set by the government. This has also helped generate economic activity as new low-cost airlines are established, as tourists look to explore other parts of Indonesia and businessmen see to do business outside their region can travel easier.

In addition to our size as a market, we have augmented our attractiveness to foreign investors through the steps we have taken in economic policy to get out of the Asian Financial Crisis and by maintaining political stability.

Mr. Chairman and Honorable Delegates,

One way the Government can encourage and facilitate economic activity which then generates economic growth is through the development of infrastructure. When I assumed the presidency, a considerable amount of our infrastructure projects were suspended or delayed due to the Asian Financial Crisis. As conditions stabilized and began to improve, the Government began ordering for certain infrastructure projects to be carried out before declaring that all of the infrastructure projects declared to be suspended or delayed in 1997 should proceed again in September 2000.

To further encourage interest in infrastructure development, the Government is offering interested parties to invest in infrastructure development in public-private partnership. And to better plan and coordinate infrastructure development, the Government formed the Infrastructure Planning Committee in 2001.

With each toll road, electricity generator, dam or airport we complete, we are giving the means for economic activity to be facilitated and economic growth to be generated. Our Trans-Java Toll Road is not yet complete but watch how factories in Central Java are able to quickly deliver their goods to Jakarta or how someone from Jakarta can depart early and be in Semarang by mid-morning for their business meeting and conclude a deal to set up a factory or an outlet. The tourists, whether from Jakarta or Singapore, that you now see crowding around at Toba Lake can be attributed to the Silangit International Airport which was completed there in early 2001.

As I inaugurate these projects, I feel that there is something deeper at work. They represent a visible and tangible sign of our nation’s efforts as it walks down the road of national development. And while the road is long and there are those further down it than we are, we march down this road at an increasingly brisk pace and want to give those already further down this road a good chase.

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

As Indonesia goes down the road of national development, we have to utilize whatever means we have at our disposal, not least our natural resources…”

---
In OTL Soeharto is on record as saying that his big achievement while in office was achieving rice self-sufficiency (https://www.hmsoeharto.id/2015/04/petani-indonesia-mendapat-kehormatan.html) and if you happen to bump into someone who sees Soeharto favorably, they will inevitably also bust out the “rice self-sufficiency” achievement. For this TL, the theme of the “Try Regime” as far as policy is concerned is that it seeks to build and improve on Soeharto’s policies. In agriculture, he’s not saying that the emphasis on rice is wrong, he’s saying that the government has other things to attend to in agriculture as well.

Of course if you’re from the PKPB you’ll think that Try is departing from Soeharto and that’s why they were getting restless.

I think Habibie’s strategic industries, in particular the IPTN, got a crappy deal when Indonesia signed on with the IMF and it took a while for them to get back on their feet. ITTL, the strategic industries continue on but are required to be more efficient and be less subsidized. I don’t know how obvious it is in the main TL, but ITTL Try has his own spin on things as far strategic industries are concerned. Where Habibie favors the IPTN, Try favors Pindad.

I’ve never really intended it but it always feels to me that there’s less concentration of development in Jakarta (probably still a lot but at least not as much as in OTL) and the visible sign of this are things like restaurants, shops and hotels originating in Jakarta becoming available in the provinces at an earlier date than OTL.

 

[Rizkyss]

900 million tonnes

That was a sharp jump

 

[focus9912]

“Feeding the People:
Mr. Chairman,

It is a cliché to say that our nation is an agrarian nation. But that is indeed the case with most of our population, even with the level of economic development that we are at, still making their livelihood in the agricultural sector.

During the Asian Financial Crisis, agriculture acted as a shock absorber for when those living in our cities became unemployed, some returned to their village and got employment there as they rode out the crisis. Even more than a shock absorber, agriculture did its part in supporting the economy even when the economy was still in crisis. As the value of the Rupiah declined, our agricultural commodities became cheaper and our exports from this sector spiked. We have much to be thankful for from this sector during the crisis.

With the Asian Financial Crisis over, the Government’s main priority in agriculture feeding our people. Feeding our people is a matter of fulfilling a basic need and fulfilling this basic need is unavoidably linked with rice production.

Over the course of the current term, and even with the El Nino phenomenon at the beginning of it, has increased steadily from 49 million tonnes in 1997 to 58.7 million tonnes in 2002. At the same time our rice imports has fluctuated. It was 1.8 million tonnes in 1999, 900 million tonnes in 2000, 1.2 million tonnes in 2001, and 1.6 million tonnes in 2002.

Well, I know Mega's fried rice recipe is good and the Golkar members were stress eating at the time, but as @Rizkyss says it, that is quite a big jump

Such numbers indicate to us that while production has increased, consumption of rice has followed suit and has even been in excess of its production. This increased rice consumption can be attributed to Indonesians having more disposable income and being able to consume more rice. Everyone…”

There was murmuring from the PKPB’s MPR Delegates and someone was heard to have muttered loudly enough “failed at rice”. At this audible muttering, the PKPI’s MPR Delegates grew restless as they glared at their PKPB counterparts. From the PKPI’s section of the MPR, someone was heard to scoff “Blind loyalty to rice, just like blind loyalty to Soeharto…” and now it was the PKPB Delegates’ turn to stare dangerously at their PKPI counterparts. The President closed his eyes in response to the chatter.

“The President will be heard in silence as he delivers his Accountability Address”, said Chairman of the MPR Matori Abdul Djalil “Let’s all be worthy of being called Honourable Delegates here…”

The MPR Building quietened down.

"Kepada Saudara Presiden, kami persilahkan kembali..." Matori said to the President as the latter open his eyes and continued.

“Everyone is consuming rice from people living in huts in the most isolated villages to those eating at luxury restaurants in the capital. At the same time, however, the question needs to be asked whether we can continue on this path with rice.

The answer the Government has attempted to provide is to diversify staple food consumption in our country. For this purpose we did not need to reinvent the wheel. There are regions in our country where the staple food of choice is sago but where, in the past, it is the production and consumption of rice that has been prioritized.

Taking effect in 2002, the Government has begun to prioritize the production, distribution, and consumption of sago over rice in the provinces of Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, and Irian Jaya. We have also established a PTPN unit which will focus on sago. Overall however, it will require more time for us to see the results of this path we have embarked on with sago.

Quite surprised the PKPB members are not shouting "Asyik-asyik sago, asyik-asyik sago" by now..

It is not only in staple foods where the Goverment has decided to be more active in diversifying food consumption. As our people become affluent, not only will they consume more rice but they are looking for more things on their plate whether that be meat, fish, eggs, milik, fruits, and vegetables. Though enterprising member of our society have identified this opportunity, the Government is looking to encourage more people in this direction and we have identified animal husbandry as a priority sector to be given lenient credit conditions in our January 2002 Policy Package.

I believe that rice has a vital place in our nation and in our society and will continue to be so. While we have abolished monopolies on the import of soybeans and have deregulated the trade of orange, cashew nuts, and vanilla, we have retained existing tariffs on rice and the import of rice continues to be controlled by Bulog.

But I equally believe that the Government must take the next necessary steps in agriculture policy by diversifying the production of staple foods and encouraging the production of more kinds of food. In turn taking such steps will involve tilting the balance of the Government’s focus and priority away from rice.

but at least the government are diversifying in other crops and types of food as well...

Strong Industry, Strong Nation:

Honorable Delegates,

The industrial sector of the economy also went through tough times during the Asian Financial Crisis. While the handicraft and furniture industries prospered from our exports becoming cheaper, our manufacturing industries struggled as domestic consumption weakened and production lessened leading to mass lay-offs especially in 1998. The corner was turned in 1999 as lay-offs decreased and factories began employing and sometimes re-employing the same employees they had laid off earlier. By 2000, factories were functioning at near-full capacity again as domestic consumption recovered and 2001 and 2002 saw manufacturers open new factories and plants so that they can expand production.

The Government’s role in industrial policy is manifold. There are occasions where the Government provided stimulus for activity in the industrial sector. When the economy had not recovered, we lowered tariffs and import duties for such things as spare parts for cars and buses, fishing boats and heavy equipment. When our economy was in a better condition, the Government lowered tariffs on textile industry-related machinery and abolished luxury taxes on certain electronics and consumer goods to encourage consumption of our industrial goods and thereby encourage production.

On other occasions, the Government’s role is to provide guidance to the industrial sector so that our industrial sector becomes even more stronger. Our automotive and electronics industry has had great years, that much is not in doubt. But we are now encouraging those in manufacturing, both domestic and foreign alike, to take up opportunities in the automotive and electronics components industries. Not only are these opportunities that manufacturers should not miss out on, it will mean that we will be importing less automotive and electronics components from abroad.

On yet still other occasions, the Government has led from the front. Among national projects inaugurated throughout the course of the term are cement factories to support our construction industry and fertilizer factories to support our agricultural industry while among those still in the pipeline are a bauxite smelter in West Kalimantan and a steel plant in South Kalimantan.

Of course, when talking about industry, we cannot neglect to mention our strategic industries. The Government has revitalized and made our strategic industries more competitive by phasing out subsidies in 2000. Standing before this lectern, I can point to some achievements: Pindad rifles being standard weaponry in all of our Army battalions and being exported abroad to Sri Lanka as well as the IPTN’s N-250 aircraft receiving its FAA certification in 2002 and receiving orders both domestically and overseas…”

There was applause from the PKPI’s MPR delegates at this last piece of news. Television cameras zoomed in on BJ Habibie nodding his approval as he sat with the MPR’s Regional Delegates representing South Sulawesi.

while also focusing on other industries and regions as well

“Our industry is strong and becoming stronger and this is a reflection of the fact that our nation is strong and becoming stronger.

Investment and Infrastructure:

Mr. Chairman,

The strength of our economy is not reliant on agriculture and industry alone but also by the economic activity that goes on within it. The Government’s role in this regard is to use its capacity to make policy to encourage economic activity.

In domestic investment, our aim is to encourage economic activity not only in Jakarta but across all of Indonesia. We therefore focused on already established domestic investors and encouraging them to expand. In 2000, we established a tax holiday program for domestic investors: 1 year tax holiday for expansion within Java and Bali, 2 years for expansion to Sumatra, 3 years for expansion to Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and the Nusa Tenggara islands, 4 years for Irian Jaya, Maluku, and East Timor. For this tax holiday program we prioritized food and beverages as well as hotels.

The results have been encouraging and I would like to mention two success stories. The Santika Hotel chain is set to have its hotels in half of the nation’s provincial capitals by 2005 or 2006 while the Solaria Restaurant Chain, which has 10 outlets in 1998, has expanded to 40 outlets since 2000 including outlets in Ujung Pandang. The construction of these hotels and outlets generates economic activity, when these hotels and outlets carry on with their core business they generate economic activity, and by being successful businesses, these hotels and outlets will generate further economic activity and this is good for the region it’s in and for the nation as a whole.

Another area where we have eased barriers is in domestic investment is in the airline industry. Beginning in 1999, companies owning a minimum of two aircrafts whose flight worthiness has been certified will be permitted to establish an airline, choose what routes it wants to fly in, and decide what price they want to sell their tickets so long as it is within a floor and ceiling set by the government. This has also helped generate economic activity as new low-cost airlines are established, as tourists look to explore other parts of Indonesia and businessmen see to do business outside their region can travel easier.

Hopefully those airlines will be better regulated ITTL, if not, at least the corvettes that were bought from Brunei would be arrived earlier I guess.

In addition to our size as a market, we have augmented our attractiveness to foreign investors through the steps we have taken in economic policy to get out of the Asian Financial Crisis and by maintaining political stability.

Mr. Chairman and Honorable Delegates,

One way the Government can encourage and facilitate economic activity which then generates economic growth is through the development of infrastructure. When I assumed the presidency, a considerable amount of our infrastructure projects were suspended or delayed due to the Asian Financial Crisis. As conditions stabilized and began to improve, the Government began ordering for certain infrastructure projects to be carried out before declaring that all of the infrastructure projects declared to be suspended or delayed in 1997 should proceed again in September 2000.

To further encourage interest in infrastructure development, the Government is offering interested parties to invest in infrastructure development in public-private partnership. And to better plan and coordinate infrastructure development, the Government formed the Infrastructure Planning Committee in 2001.

With each toll road, electricity generator, dam or airport we complete, we are giving the means for economic activity to be facilitated and economic growth to be generated. Our Trans-Java Toll Road is not yet complete but watch how factories in Central Java are able to quickly deliver their goods to Jakarta or how someone from Jakarta can depart early and be in Semarang by mid-morning for their business meeting and conclude a deal to set up a factory or an outlet. The tourists, whether from Jakarta or Singapore, that you now see crowding around at Toba Lake can be attributed to the Silangit International Airport which was completed there in early 2001.

As I inaugurate these projects, I feel that there is something deeper at work. They represent a visible and tangible sign of our nation’s efforts as it walks down the road of national development. And while the road is long and there are those further down it than we are, we march down this road at an increasingly brisk pace and want to give those already further down this road a good chase.

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

As Indonesia goes down the road of national development, we have to utilize whatever means we have at our disposal, not least our natural resources…”

---
In OTL Soeharto is on record as saying that his big achievement while in office was achieving rice self-sufficiency (https://www.hmsoeharto.id/2015/04/petani-indonesia-mendapat-kehormatan.html) and if you happen to bump into someone who sees Soeharto favorably, they will inevitably also bust out the “rice self-sufficiency” achievement. For this TL, the theme of the “Try Regime” as far as policy is concerned is that it seeks to build and improve on Soeharto’s policies. In agriculture, he’s not saying that the emphasis on rice is wrong, he’s saying that the government has other things to attend to in agriculture as well.

Of course if you’re from the PKPB you’ll think that Try is departing from Soeharto and that’s why they were getting restless.

While there are possible improvement that could be done in terms of rice production (like decreasing the cycle time to have five harvesting season per two years for a relative recent example)... there could always have other avenue to increase the revenues of farmers.

I think Habibie’s strategic industries, in particular the IPTN, got a crappy deal when Indonesia signed on with the IMF and it took a while for them to get back on their feet. ITTL, the strategic industries continue on but are required to be more efficient and be less subsidized. I don’t know how obvious it is in the main TL, but ITTL Try has his own spin on things as far strategic industries are concerned. Where Habibie favors the IPTN, Try favors Pindad.

Even with Try favoring Pindad, IPTN is still humming along ITTL, so even the industrial sector has a diversified source of revenue.

I’ve never really intended it but it always feels to me that there’s less concentration of development in Jakarta (probably still a lot but at least not as much as in OTL) and the visible sign of this are things like restaurants, shops and hotels originating in Jakarta becoming available in the provinces at an earlier date than OTL.

Hmm...quiet true...speaking of developments outside of Jakarta, I wonder how does rail improvements (whether it is reactivation, duplication or even electrification) outside of Jakarta would progress ITTL as the progress of the advancement of INKA rolling stock, and the further procurement of the second hand rolling stocks from Japan would certainly would be affected.

TLDR:
Diversification is the theme of this part of the speech,
and I am glad that the process is progressing smoothly.

 

[GSD310]

Try managed to stem the devaluation to only 8% after he takes the helm of the presidency from Soeharto.

Yup, and the actions of Soeharto doesn't really help the matters on hand.

Yes. I daresay this was Soeharto's "error" when it came to the Asian Financial Crisis. He didn't cause it but he mishandled it.

But without ignoring Soeharto's role in the Asian Financial Crisis, in OTL, Australia felt the IMF was too harsh on Soeharto because the policies they wanted him to adopt might lead to social unrest and tried to ask for leniency on Indonesia's behalf but failed. (check out this link and read page 469-475: https://www.google.co.id/books/edit...ts+imf+indonesia&pg=PA469&printsec=frontcover)

I'm pointing that source out because that's where I got the idea that Indonesia managed to get out of the crisis not only because of Try's policies and but also because he got some leniency from the IMF and the West (The Aussies would be in a stronger position to argue that Try should be given a chance) that you see in the TL's earlier pages.

You might say that this is ironic given Indonesia and Australia's bad relationship at this stage ITTL and yes, I agree. But I always see Australia as having an ambivalent attitude towards Indonesia. In OTL they might think the IMF was too harsh on Soeharto but that did not stop them, when Indonesia was in a weaker position, from asking that East Timor be resolved and triggering Habibie to hold a referendum. Just how in ITTL, Australia wanted some leniency for Try but is now looking on warily at Indonesia wanting to spend more on defense.

Just noticed this one detail when rereading the TL again.

Well played.

Thanks so much. I know my TL is a large wall of text so I'm always happy when someone picks things up like that.

That was a sharp jump

Yep. Wanted to highlight here that Bulog still has the monopoly on importing rice so the government can still control the process unlike in OTL 1998 when the tariffs on rice were cut and anybody could import rice because Bulog's monopoly has been abolished. In OTL the rice import figures was 2.8 million tonnes for 1998 and 3 million tonnes for 1999 (https://faisalbasri.com/2018/11/19/impor-beras-sejak-orde-baru-soeharto-hingga-kini/).

 

[GSD310]

“The Sights and Sites of Indonesia: Tourism
Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

As Indonesia goes down the road of national development, we have to utilize whatever means we have at our disposal, not least our natural resources. The most visible of our national resources are the beautiful sights and sites all around Indonesia that are worth visiting. Endowed by God, supplemented by the mark left behind by the kingdoms and cultures of our archipelago, these are the resources that make up our tourism industry.

That we have remained politically stable while our exchange rate with the US Dollar weakened during the Asian Financial Crisis has meant that Indonesia has become both a safe and a cheaper place to travel to and visit. While 1998 was a year of struggle and survival for the other sectors in the economy, our tourism sector boomed with foreign tourists keeping our hotels afloat. The Government utilized tourism’s good fortune by establishing Tourism Site Payment Points at the nation’s various tourism sites so that any entrance fees are collected on an official basis and turned into government revenue. The Government also took measures to simplify and delegate procedures for the establishment of budget hotels especially close to tourist attractions.

When the Asian Financial Crisis was finished, the Government took steps to build our tourism industry by identifying provinces other than Bali with strong potential for tourism. Over the current term, we have identified Lombok, Yogyakarta, and North Sumatra and have prioritized infrastructure, marketing, and other tourism-related steps in the direction of these three provinces. To further encourage tourism across the other provinces, however, the Department Tourism has worked together with the provincial governments in the last 12 months to identify tourist attractions in each province and begin working to promote these regional tourist attractions.

We registered strong numbers for tourism from both domestic and foreign tourists in the present term. Our economic recovery combined with improved infrastructure meant that our domestic tourists have more disposable income and has the means to reach tourist attractions while our stability has meant we remain an attractive destination for foreign tourists.

Fuelling The Economy:
Mr. Chairman,

While some natural resources function to attract domestic and foreign visitors alike to it, other natural resources function to provide the very fuel and electricity that keeps our economy going and moving. In the current term, it has been the Government’s goal that energy policy is directed not only towards supporting the economy but also towards serving the goals of national development.

This is manifested in 1998, 1999, and 2002 when the Government has cut fuel subsidies. We took these steps so that the price of Indonesian fuel begins to approach the market price of fuel and more importantly, because the funds would be better utilized for building infrastructure which, by improving accessibility, will off-set the adjustment of fuel prices by lowering transportation costs.

This is also manifested in the completion of various electricity-related infrastructure, both public and private alike, across the nation. The most prominent of these are the electricity generators, second only to toll roads in terms of our most visible signs of progress in infrastructure development over the last 5 years. Less visible but no less important is the progress we have made in extending electricity to rural and isolated areas so that it is all but certain that 100% of our villages will be electrified by the end of Repelita VII in 2004…”

There was applause, in particular from the PKPI’s MPR Delegates.

“Honorable Delegates,

Energy policy is not only about taking proactive steps to strengthen our energy sector but also about realizing that challenges and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. Our primary challenge in the energy sector is that our ageing oil fields combined with the demands of our economy has meant that our oil production can no longer keep up with our oil consumption. By the end of 2002, our nation has thus become a net oil importer…”

There were murmurings, some from the PKPB’s delegates but also some from the PNI’s delegates but these murmurings slowly disappeared when Chairman of the MPR Matori Abdul Djalil glared at the MPR delegates and as Chairwoman of the PKPB Tutut Soeharto and Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri held their hand up calling for silence.

“But the challenge of becoming a net oil importer, presents with it the opportunity to attract new investors in to explore and exploit new oil fields, oil wells, and oil reserves. Pertamina has concluded a contract with Exxon to develop the Cepu Block, it can start producing oil within two years though this will be on the basis of an early production facility rather than a full production one, and I am sure that Cepu will be the first of many, provided that the Government can continue to provide a good environment for investment.

Another challenge that we are facing are commodity prices which is predicted rise in the coming years driven by the demands of emerging economic powers most notably Brazil, Russia, India, the People’s Republic of China and ourselves. So much for the challenge. The opportunity lies in the fact that we are commodity producers ourselves. This is why the Government has taken the step this past January of signing an agreement with India where we will seek to prioritize India as a destination of coal exports and India will reciprocate that by according priority to our coal for importing.

Our coal producers have done well domestically in the last few years as electricity generators and factories are completed and have ordered for coal to fuel their production, now they embark on the challenge of providing supply for a foreign market. And where in the past and present we have exported oil and liquid natural gas to markets of tens and, in Japan’s case, of a hundred million, we will in the future be exporting to a market of a billion.”

Some applause are heard from the PKPI and PPP sections of the MPR building.

“What is most important in energy policy, as in any policy as it relates to our natural resources, is that the benefits of said resources flow to the nation and its people as much as possible. This why in 1998, the Government successfully renegotiated the PLN’s agreement with Independent Power Producers so that the PLN is not purchasing electricity from the IPP at excessive price. This is why in 1999, the Government abolished Perta and Permindo and directed Pertamina to take over directly all exporting and importing of oil. We believe that there is no need for middlemen in the exporting and importing of oil as this is inefficient and wasteful.

In 2002, the Government obtained PT. Freeport Indonesia’s compliance in divesting its shares to the Republic of Indonesia beginning in the 2003/2004 fiscal year in addition to amending rates of royalty and the construction of smelter in East Java. The Government has also taken steps to make sure that not only will the Central Government increase its share in Freeport, but also that some of these divested shares will be directed towards Irian Jaya’s Provincial Government, where Freeport has its mines.

In taking these steps, the Government has not targeted certain individuals or certain corporations or certain countries. The Government’s primary consideration has been the nation and its people and making sure that as much of the benefits of our national resources flow in their direction.

Managing The World’s Lungs:
Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

The wealth of our national resources are everywhere and everywhere it needs to be managed. Our forests, for example, are also an important natural resource to be utilized for national development. The challenge here, as with other natural resources, is that it can be beneficial to the many rather than the few. This is why in September 2000, the Government has decided to place ceilings on the number of hectares forest concessionaires can obtain as well as enacting a Resources Royalty Provision.

As time wore on, however, the Government came to the opinion that the main obstacle to making sure that our forests benefit the many rather than the few is not the matter the maximum amount of hectares a forest concessionaire can have but the matter of compliance with existing forestry laws and regulation. There is simply not enough time in the world for the Government to go after every case of illegal logging, smuggling, illegal sawmilling, and other failures to comply with existing forestry laws and regulations. In 1999 the Government established a Forest Police Force responsible to the Department of Forestry and Environment rather than as a unit of the Police allocated for forestry purposes but we quickly realized that something extensive was more required.

The Government therefore took the step of putting in place a 12 month amnesty period for our forest concessionaires to ensure compliance with existing laws and regulations. Our aim was not to punish or to look for mistakes and we were willing to work with those who showed goodwill. Indeed, when this amnesty period was about to run out in July 2002, the Government worked together who disclosed various non-compliance in their operations to formulate a timeframe and a timetable within which they can become compliant.

The Very Ground We Step On:
Mr. Chairman,

The land itself another natural resource that could be utilized and the currency with which Indonesians can begin utilizing this national resource is the land certificate. Throughout the course of the term the BPN has continued to streamline processes for the issuing of land certificates and in 2001, successfully computerized the BPN at both the national and regional level.

In 2002, we also began prioritizing issuing land certificates for land owners in rural areas such as farmers so that they can be more certain of the status of their land as they develop their land, for transmigrants as a way to support the transmigration program, and for land owners in East Timor as only East Timor ID card holders can own land there.

Not Forgetting Our Maritime Heritage:

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

We have spoken of natural resources that exists on land, in the land, and the land itself and yet we must not forget that we are also a maritime nation. “My ancestor was a sailor” said one children's song in this country. In 1998, while the Government reorganized and merged other government departments so that we can save on costs, the only new government department that was created was the Department of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Such was the emphasis the Government wanted to make on Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Throughout the course of this term, we took steps to begin realizing various aspects of our maritime affairs and fisheries policy. We ordered and procured patrol boats, we began catching illegal fishing vessels, we mandated that all fishing vessels must have a Vessel Monitoring System on board, we encouraged fish as an alternative source of nutrition to help with our program of diversifying sources of food, and we opened the first modern fish market in Jakarta.

More importantly, the Government secured recognition from the International Maritime Organization for its proposed archipelagic sealanes in 1998. It was not until 2002 however, when the Government considered that we had better means to enforce these regulations, that we began to disseminate the existence of these archipelagic sealanes and to begin lobbying for its recognition. International recognition of Indonesia’s archipelagic sealanes will be an important step in Indonesia’s assertion of sovereignty. It will mean that international aircrafts and vessels will agree to certain rules and regulations when they are travelling in Indonesian waters.

Much as I would like this address to be about the positive things which the Government, I would be remiss if I did not report that maritime affairs has provided us with a lesson about what happens if our nation fails to utilize all of its resources. In 1998, the Government fulfilled the commitment it made with the Malaysian Government in 1997 to refer the dispute over the Sipadan and Ligitan Islands to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In December 2002, the ICJ ruled that sovereignty over Sipadan and Ligitan Islands belonged to Malaysia because Malaysia has shown “effective administration” over the two islands by building infrastructure such as a lighthouse and a reserve for the birds which has its habitats there.

This shows that if we do not manage or utilize our natural resources properly, we might one day find ourselves that others will lay claim to it and have those claims legitimized by virtue having not taken prior notice of our natural resources.”

---
All right so it’s a natural resources-themed part of the speech here. All of the things mentioned here were mentioned in the main TL so there’s little to no “accountability speech-exclusive” here.

I suppose you can say that the theme of Try’s natural resources policy is to “clean up”. Make sure Freeport respects its terms of agreement, make sure forest concessionaires comply with rules and regulations etc.

Great time ITTL if you’re in coal or wanting to get into coal. ITTL Adaro and Bayan will be a lot bigger than their OTL self.

The reasoning for ICJ handing Malaysia Sipadan and Ligitan is the same as OTL.

 

[wahyubison]

Now maritime
The most urgent problem is legal coast guard organization as the only law enforcement on Maritimec territory

 

[focus9912]

We registered strong numbers for tourism from both domestic and foreign tourists in the present term. Our economic recovery combined with improved infrastructure meant that our domestic tourists have more disposable income and has the means to reach tourist attractions while our stability has meant we remain an attractive destination for foreign tourists.

I think domestic tourist should go hand in hand with foreign tourist.

Fuelling The Economy:
Mr. Chairman,

While some natural resources function to attract domestic and foreign visitors alike to it, other natural resources function to provide the very fuel and electricity that keeps our economy going and moving. In the current term, it has been the Government’s goal that energy policy is directed not only towards supporting the economy but also towards serving the goals of national development.

This is manifested in 1998, 1999, and 2002 when the Government has cut fuel subsidies. We took these steps so that the price of Indonesian fuel begins to approach the market price of fuel and more importantly, because the funds would be better utilized for building infrastructure which, by improving accessibility, will off-set the adjustment of fuel prices by lowering transportation costs.

This also hopefully set up Indonesia to reduce it dependency on oil.

This is also manifested in the completion of various electricity-related infrastructure, both public and private alike, across the nation. The most prominent of these are the electricity generators, second only to toll roads in terms of our most visible signs of progress in infrastructure development over the last 5 years. Less visible but no less important is the progress we have made in extending electricity to rural and isolated areas so that it is all but certain that 100% of our villages will be electrified by the end of Repelita VII in 2004…”

And it seems that perhaps Indonesia will surpass Malaysia in terms of electricity coverage, although that is more because of lack of action in Malaysia by the white haired Rajah in particular.

There was applause, in particular from the PKPI’s MPR Delegates.

“Honorable Delegates,

Energy policy is not only about taking proactive steps to strengthen our energy sector but also about realizing that challenges and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. Our primary challenge in the energy sector is that our ageing oil fields combined with the demands of our economy has meant that our oil production can no longer keep up with our oil consumption. By the end of 2002, our nation has thus become a net oil importer…”

There were murmurings, some from the PKPB’s delegates but also some from the PNI’s delegates but these murmurings slowly disappeared when Chairman of the MPR Matori Abdul Djalil glared at the MPR delegates and as Chairwoman of the PKPB Tutut Soeharto and Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri held their hand up calling for silence.

“But the challenge of becoming a net oil importer, presents with it the opportunity to attract new investors in to explore and exploit new oil fields, oil wells, and oil reserves. Pertamina has concluded a contract with Exxon to develop the Cepu Block, it can start producing oil within two years though this will be on the basis of an early production facility rather than a full production one, and I am sure that Cepu will be the first of many, provided that the Government can continue to provide a good environment for investment.

Another challenge that we are facing are commodity prices which is predicted rise in the coming years driven by the demands of emerging economic powers most notably Brazil, Russia, India, the People’s Republic of China and ourselves. So much for the challenge. The opportunity lies in the fact that we are commodity producers ourselves. This is why the Government has taken the step this past January of signing an agreement with India where we will seek to prioritize India as a destination of coal exports and India will reciprocate that by according priority to our coal for importing.

Our coal producers have done well domestically in the last few years as electricity generators and factories are completed and have ordered for coal to fuel their production, now they embark on the challenge of providing supply for a foreign market. And where in the past and present we have exported oil and liquid natural gas to markets of tens and, in Japan’s case, of a hundred million, we will in the future be exporting to a market of a billion.”

Some applause are heard from the PKPI and PPP sections of the MPR building.

“What is most important in energy policy, as in any policy as it relates to our natural resources, is that the benefits of said resources flow to the nation and its people as much as possible. This why in 1998, the Government successfully renegotiated the PLN’s agreement with Independent Power Producers so that the PLN is not purchasing electricity from the IPP at excessive price. This is why in 1999, the Government abolished Perta and Permindo and directed Pertamina to take over directly all exporting and importing of oil. We believe that there is no need for middlemen in the exporting and importing of oil as this is inefficient and wasteful.

And Indonesia oil industry is developing. I think ITTL it could actually surpassed Petronas in terms of volume and prestige by the time it reach present day....as long as Tutut is not in charge of Indonesia until at least another Try term at the earliest.

All right so it’s a natural resources-themed part of the speech here. All of the things mentioned here were mentioned in the main TL so there’s little to no “accountability speech-exclusive” here.

I suppose you can say that the theme of Try’s natural resources policy is to “clean up”. Make sure Freeport respects its terms of agreement, make sure forest concessionaires comply with rules and regulations etc.

Great time ITTL if you’re in coal or wanting to get into coal. ITTL Adaro and Bayan will be a lot bigger than their OTL self.

The reasoning for ICJ handing Malaysia Sipadan and Ligitan is the same as OTL.

Yup agree.


P/s:

Yep. Wanted to highlight here that Bulog still has the monopoly on importing rice so the government can still control the process unlike in OTL 1998 when the tariffs on rice were cut and anybody could import rice because Bulog's monopoly has been abolished. In OTL the rice import figures was 2.8 million tonnes for 1998 and 3 million tonnes for 1999 (https://faisalbasri.com/2018/11/19/impor-beras-sejak-orde-baru-soeharto-hingga-kini/).

Erm...you do realized me and @Rizkyss were only wondering
(READ:JOKING)
about the figures in 2000 in particular.

We are surprised that the importation of rice have a 5000% increase in the year 2000, and the fact that Indonesia managed to import significantly more than IOTL global production of rice that year is a bit perplexing.
(/s....I though the satire is very obvious enough...but it looks like I need to put it anyway.)

 

[GSD310]

“Trading To Our Advantage:
Mr. Chairman,

In addition to mobilizing our economic potential and utilizing our natural resources, we also take advantage of the trade with the rest of the world as we walk on our journey to become an economic power.

A portion of our trade with the world generate earnings and revenue for us as well as access markets both new and existing; these being our exports. We are still encouraging our oil and gas exports, with 3 export-oriented oil refineries in construction on top of our existing Exor I at Balongan. However, over the course the term the Government has continued existing policy of focusing non-oil and gas exports. Our agricultural commodities, manufactured goods, handicrafts, and our tourism sector have continued to do their part to draw foreign currency in our direction. Our strategic industries are also blooming and we have found ourselves exporting assault rifles, aircrafts, and train carriages.

To further strengthen our non-oil and gas exports, the Government has adopted the policy of encouraging the export of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG); food and products that are consumed by the masses in their daily lives. The Government has directed the export of Indonesian FMCGs to developing markets not only because of their affordability but also in a bid to diversify our export markets. While we have sent FMCGs to close neighbors such as Papua New Guinea, we have directed the majority of our FMCG exports to our African markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia with a view to using these nations, most notably Nigeria, as launching pads to other markets in Africa. Africa is a large market and will become more lucrative as it becomes more economically prosperous in the future…”

The camera panned to Minister of Trade Anthony Salim who in his role as an MPR Delegate sat with the non-partisan Groups Delegate. His desk was strewn with merchandise which he lifted to the camera to see; Indomie instant noodles, Mayora biscuits, Wings detergent, Teh Botol tea, Kopiko coffee candy. There was good-natured laughter all around.

“That’s our salesman, by the way”, the President said as he broke from his speech and pointed to Anthony as the chamber applauded. Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri was seen politely applauding as she looked in Anthony’s direction.

It was a moment of brevity but the President turned back to his speech when the laughter died down.

“A portion of our trade with the world help us to grow our economic potential when there are requirements that could not be met domestically; these being our imports. As our nation grows and it becomes one of the foremost emerging markets, it requires commodities as it seeks to expand. Throughout the course of the term, we have lowered tariffs on heavy equipment and spare parts of cars and boats to help encourage the construction and transportation sectors. We have signed agreements to import cotton from Uzbekistan for our textile industry, phosphate from Togo to manufacture fertilizer and asphalt from Trinidad and Tobago to help construct the Trans-Irian Jaya Road.

It is my firm believe that so long as we continue to become more productive, so long as we continue to use these imports for productive purposes and so long as we we continue to improve the structure of our industry, such as for example making sure that we not only manufacture more electronics but also manufacture more electronics components for our manufacturing industry, we do not have to fear or avoid imports.

It is in this spirit of trade that the Government has successfully pushed and gained agreement from our fellow ASEAN members for the resumption of the implementation of AFTA. As agreed in the 2002 ASEAN Summit, the implementation of AFTA which was disrupted by the Asian Financial Crisis will resume again on 1st January 2004. Our strong currency relative to the currency of other Southeast Asian nations as well as our manufacturing’s performance means that Indonesian-produced exports such as motorcycles would benefit even more if it arrived in Southeast Asian markets such as the Philippines and Vietnam with little to no tariffs. At the same time, in our bid to diversify food consumption, imports of fruit from Thailand will become cheaper with lower tariffs.

In other words, resuming AFTA is a course of action that will benefit our nation and regardless of the results of the MPR General Session, a course of action that will continue.

The Last But Not Least of Our Resources:
Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

When we speak of the journey of national development the resources mobilized for that purpose, we must never forget that the Indonesian people itself is a resource to conduct national development. The skills, energy, and effort of the Indonesian people are an important resource for our nation. But the Indonesian people are more than just a resource for national development, they are also a reason for our national development. That they are able to be employed, make an income, and see their living standards rise are reasons why we must continue on this road of national development.

The main agenda which we have been able to complete in the area of manpower has been the passing of the Manpower Law. With this legislation, the Government is seeking to give workers and employees working conditions that will make their workplace a conducive place for them to become productive both for themselves and for those around them. The Government is also seeking, with this legislation, to create an industrial system that will provide more certainty for businesses and investors to invest and play their part to drive our nation’s economic growth. This is why the emphasis of the industrial relations system in this Manpower Law is on bipartism and tripartism instead of unionism…”

There were mutterings among the ranks of the PNI delegates sitting in the MPR which were drowned out by the PKPI and the PKPB delegates jointly applauding what the President was saying. The PKPI and PKPB MPR delegates abruptly stopped applauding when they realized who they were applauding with, causing the rest of the MPR delegates to laugh.

“It has taken a long time for this legislation to be passed. Again I appeal to those here, that regardless of the results of the MPR General Session, I hope that its implementation will go ahead as planned…”

The President took a sip of water as the camera panned to Chairwoman of the PKPB Tutut Soeharto. She kept a poker face while in the row behind her but some seats away, PKPB delegates Theo Sambuaga and Fuad Bawazier were having a debate amongst themselves.

“Well if they’re good policies, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be continued”, whispered Theo.

“But the Manpower Law and then AFTA, pretty soon we’re just continuing President Try’s policies”, whispered Fuad Bawazier “We might as well as just support his re-election.”

Akbar Tandjung sat in front of Theo and Fuad and turned around to stare at them. Theo and Fuad decided to keep quiet as Akbar turned back around to watch the President look for the point he had stopped reading when taking a drink.

“The Government have also taken steps for those more inclined to work for themselves and create employment. In 2000, the self-employed, freelancers, and home businesses are made exempt from making Company Registration Receipt while in 2001, the Government has delegated authority for the approval of limited liability status to the regional offices of the Department of Legal Affairs instead of requiring applicants to come to Jakarta. There is no reason for the State to get in the way of those wanting to work for themselves and help create employment for their fellow countrymen.

Mr. Chairman,

Not only the mobilization of our human resources but its distribution is also important. The Government has continued the transmigration program though this term has not been without its own set of challenges. During the height of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998, first in June and then during that year’s mudik period, the Department of Transmigration provided free transportation for the unemployed wanting to go home to rural areas where they might find better prospects of employment but are unable to afford the costs.

As the economy recovered, we continue to build upon our transmigration policy. In 1999, the Government placed a priority on transmigrants wanting to open a business at their destination so that they can help create employment at their new destination. In 2002, we made transmigrants one of three priority groups in obtaining a land certificate. All the while the Government has continued to build new transmigration settlements in Sumatra and Kalimantan.”

---
Apologies. OTL has kept me busy.

Every once in a while in Indonesia, there’s always a special feature on the news that says “Indonesian FMCG X becoming popular in country Y”. I always find that interesting because it seems like there is a market and there is demand for these products. The only unfortunate thing is that there has never been, at least as far as I know, a government-led effort to promote these products. It’s more the case that FMCG companies go off on their own and establish themselves in Africa.

The consequences of a stronger currency than OTL: can build more infrastructure, build more factories, buy more weapons but in all likelihood, exports will be more expensive.

I daresay AFTA is something Try and Sumarlin can easily agree on. Try wants to use it as a show of Indonesian leadership in the region, Sumarlin’s a member of the Berkeley Mafia and not an economic nationalist.

I wonder if anyone has followed this TL long enough to remember the policy where in ITTL 1998, if you’re unemployed but can’t afford the transportation costs to go back to your village, the Department of Transmigration gives you a free ride? Basically the logic of this is that Try and his government doesn’t want too many unemployed people hanging around in the cities for fear of potential unrest.

I’m looking at wrapping up the accountability address in 3 chapters. Basically, all the social stuff (education, health, religion, housing etc.) will be in the next one, so that one will be quite long. Then there’ll be a chapter on foreign policy and defense. Then the final one should be domestic stuff, elections, relations with the regional governments.

Bear with me with regards to the accountability address. It does tend to be long. The record was 3.5 hours when Suharto delivered his accountability address in 1978 (https://www.google.co.id/books/edit...suharto+93+pages&pg=PA224&printsec=frontcover)

 

[Kosaki_MacTavish]

The camera panned to Minister of Trade Anthony Salim who in his role as an MPR Delegate sat with the non-partisan Groups Delegate. His desk was strewn with merchandise which he lifted to the camera to see; Indomie instant noodles, Mayora biscuits, Wings detergent, Teh Botol tea, Kopiko coffee candy. There was good-natured laughter all around.

“That’s our salesman, by the way”, the President said as he broke from his speech and pointed to Anthony as the chamber applauded. Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri was seen politely applauding as she looked in Anthony’s direction.

It was a moment of brevity but the President turned back to his speech when the laughter died down.

*raises glass

I wonder if anyone has followed this TL long enough to remember the policy where in ITTL 1998, if you’re unemployed but can’t afford the transportation costs to go back to your village, the Department of Transmigration gives you a free ride? Basically the logic of this is that Try and his government doesn’t want too many unemployed people hanging around in the cities for fear of potential unrest.

Just like the 1931 Malaise.

I’m looking at wrapping up the accountability address in 3 chapters. Basically, all the social stuff (education, health, religion, housing etc.) will be in the next one, so that one will be quite long. Then there’ll be a chapter on foreign policy and defense. Then the final one should be domestic stuff, elections, relations with the regional governments.

Bear with me with regards to the accountability address. It does tend to be long. The record was 3.5 hours when Suharto delivered his accountability address in 1978

Always do. It's always a treat to see the government-period recaps after all.

 

[focus9912]

The camera panned to Minister of Trade Anthony Salim who in his role as an MPR Delegate sat with the non-partisan Groups Delegate. His desk was strewn with merchandise which he lifted to the camera to see; Indomie instant noodles, Mayora biscuits, Wings detergent, Teh Botol tea, Kopiko coffee candy. There was good-natured laughter all around.

“That’s our salesman, by the way”, the President said as he broke from his speech and pointed to Anthony as the chamber applauded. Chairwoman of the PNI Megawati Soekarnoputri was seen politely applauding as she looked in Anthony’s direction.

Hmm, perhaps the next term will definitely see a promotion for Anthony Salim whether it is with Try at the helm or even in the extremely unlikely event that Mega does get the presidency

We have signed agreements to import ... asphalt from Trinidad and Tobago to help construct the Trans-Irian Jaya Road.

Huh...TIL about natural asphalt reserves.

There were mutterings among the ranks of the PNI delegates sitting in the MPR which were drowned out by the PKPI and the PKPB delegates jointly applauding what the President was saying. The PKPI and PKPB MPR delegates abruptly stopped applauding when they realized who they were applauding with, causing the rest of the MPR delegates to laugh.

Well partisanship is still alive, and it kinda sad to see the behave like this...

who am I kidding, better this than the shenanigans at the Malaysian Parliament.

The President took a sip of water as the camera panned to Chairwoman of the PKPB Tutut Soeharto. She kept a poker face while in the row behind her but some seats away, PKPB delegates Theo Sambuaga and Fuad Bawazier were having a debate amongst themselves.

“Well if they’re good policies, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be continued”, whispered Theo.

“But the Manpower Law and then AFTA, pretty soon we’re just continuing President Try’s policies”, whispered Fuad Bawazier “We might as well as just support his re-election.”

Akbar Tandjung sat in front of Theo and Fuad and turned around to stare at them. Theo and Fuad decided to keep quiet as Akbar turned back around to watch the President look for the point he had stopped reading when taking a drink.

Hmm...some is cooking at PKPB, and it is definitely not Mega's fried rice....

“The Government have also taken steps for those more inclined to work for themselves and create employment. In 2000, the self-employed, freelancers, and home businesses are made exempt from making Company Registration Receipt while in 2001, the Government has delegated authority for the approval of limited liability status to the regional offices of the Department of Legal Affairs instead of requiring applicants to come to Jakarta.

Yikes...it was that hard to register a company...well we could see a boom of SMEs.

During the height of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998, first in June and then during that year’s mudik period, the Department of Transmigration provided free transportation for the unemployed wanting to go home to rural areas where they might find better prospects of employment but are unable to afford the costs.

As the economy recovered, we continue to build upon our transmigration policy. In 1999, the Government placed a priority on transmigrants wanting to open a business at their destination so that they can help create employment at their new destination. In 2002, we made transmigrants one of three priority groups in obtaining a land certificate. All the while the Government has continued to build new transmigration settlements in Sumatra and Kalimantan.”

Well let's hope with the new infrastructure being build across Indonesia, there are plenty of jobs laying around outside of Jakarta.

---
Apologies. OTL has kept me busy.

Every once in a while in Indonesia, there’s always a special feature on the news that says “Indonesian FMCG X becoming popular in country Y”. I always find that interesting because it seems like there is a market and there is demand for these products. The only unfortunate thing is that there has never been, at least as far as I know, a government-led effort to promote these products. It’s more the case that FMCG companies go off on their own and establish themselves in Africa.

Well to be fair, a bad execution by the goverment is worse than none, so let's hope the products are promoted properly.

I wonder if anyone has followed this TL long enough to remember the policy where in ITTL 1998, if you’re unemployed but can’t afford the transportation costs to go back to your village, the Department of Transmigration gives you a free ride? Basically the logic of this is that Try and his government doesn’t want too many unemployed people hanging around in the cities for fear of potential unrest.

Well as long the goverment could also try to reduce the factors the led to the potential unrest...thing would go smoothly....

...right?

I’m looking at wrapping up the accountability address in 3 chapters. Basically, all the social stuff (education, health, religion, housing etc.) will be in the next one, so that one will be quite long. Then there’ll be a chapter on foreign policy and defense. Then the final one should be domestic stuff, elections, relations with the regional governments.

And we will look forward to these updates. Thanks for the update.

 

[KderNacht]

who am I kidding, better this than the shenanigans at the Malaysian Parliament.

I'm always surprised that people in this country think Malaysia is somehow more progressive when they're still on Ekonomi Benteng with pribumi quotas on share ownership and investments products, and apostasy means death.

Yikes...it was that hard to register a company...well we could see a boom of SMEs.

I read in LKY's memoirs that Mr. "penak jamanku to" used to require all foreign investments of 100k USD and over to go through his office for approval, in other words making sure of his cut.

 

[focus9912]

I'm always surprised that people in this country think Malaysia is somehow more progressive when they're still on Ekonomi Benteng with pribumi quotas on share ownership and investments products, and apostasy from Islam means death.

Well it's because of a number of factors that favour Malaysia IOTL(higher amount of minorities, higher wages,the relative political stability while technically more democratic), but considering the situation ITTL, I really don't think there would be people in Indonesia that would think Malaysia is more progressive. In fact, I think there will be a point (perhaps when the Jakarta MRT opens early ITTL and with the development of regions outside of Jakarta that certainly currently in a pace that multiplied the pace of the Malaysian states outside Klang Valley) that Malaysians would start to correctly think that Indonesia is the more progressive country.

I read in LKY's memoirs that Mr. "penak jamanku to" used to require all foreign investments of 100k USD and over to go through his office for approval, in other words making sure of his cut.

Well, at least this policy has coming to an end,and.they had to, especially with the internet which allows the details of the deal to be spread far and wide.

 

[GSD310]

“The Welfare and Well-Being of the Indonesian People:
Mr. Chairman, Honorable Delegates of the MPR, and fellow Indonesians,

This Nation and this Government does not pursue economic growth for its own sake, we do not try to attract investment for its own sake nor do we build infrastructure for its own sake. The reason for all this is for the sake of improving the welfare and wellbeing of the Indonesian people. If we do not generate economic growth, we will not have the resources to build such things as our classrooms and our hospitals.

One important area related to the people’s welfare is that of education. The Government’s main agenda in the area of education is realizing the Compulsory 9 Years Education Program initiated in 1994. After a slight dip in the participation rate for those in junior high schools as a result of the Asian Financial Crisis, the Government has spared no effort ensuring that our junior high school-aged children are in a classroom and studying.

We are committed to achieving Compulsory 9 Years Education by the end of Repelita VII. This is why we have enacted, as of the 2002/2003 financial year, the Presidential Instruction on Junior High Schools. There are two components to this. First, we have accelerated the construction of junior high school buildings comprising of three classrooms, a science laboratory, and a library. Second, we have given financial assistance to assist with the operational costs to existing junior high schools so that parents are not burdened with extra costs. In 2002, we also mandated that five years elapse before the list of textbooks for primary and secondary level of education is revised or changed. Once again we operate on the principle that parents who have already committed to sending their children to school should not be burdened with extras costs.

In addition to pursuing the goal of Compulsory 9 Years Education, the Government has also set for itself the additional goal of making kindergarten compulsory. For this purpose, the Government has since 2001 also begun constructing an extra classroom at existing State Elementary Schools that could be used by kindegarteners and allocated more funding for visual aids and other equipment. When it comes to education, we must give our children as good a headstart as possible and we do that by making kindergarten accessible to all, not just those who can afford it.

Another priority in education policy the Government has focused on this term is vocational education. Throughout the term the Government has opened new vocational schools in addition to successfully refurbishing and expanding existing vocational schools so that it has the capacity to take on more students and offer additional courses. To better equip our vocational students, we have also begun offering English language courses so that they can become more competitive and be recruited in an internationally-oriented workforce or work overseas.

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

The Government continues to make improvements to our health system. Throughout the course of the present term, the Government has not constructed any new Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) to the 7,106 we already have. Instead our focus since the beginning of Repelita VII in 1999 has been to construct second floors for our Puskesmas which we can then fill with extra beds for patients as well as extra health services, effectively converting our Puskesmas into mini-hospitals. To date, there are over 4,800 Puskesmas where work is either ongoing or has been completed.

We continue to encourage the participation of the private sector in improving and enhancing our health system both through the establishment of private clinics and hospitals as well as factories processing and producing pharmaceutical goods. Meanwhile, the Government continues to improve its capacity to make health and health-related policies. Throughout the term, the Government approved the creation of a Food and Drugs Supervision Agency (BPOM) and a Directorate General of Medical Equipment at the Department of Health.

In addition to the physical developments that is being undertaken to our health system, the Government also took important steps to improve the health profession. In 2000, we passed the Medicinal Practice Law which mandated that doctors and dentists to have a Registration License Letter and a Practice License. More importantly, as a result of this legislation, the Government has formed an Indonesian Medicinal Council (KKI) whose responsibility it is is to provide oversight over the medical profession.

Related to health and a continuing national priority is family planning. On this front, the BKKBN has achieved a three year target set in 2000 that by the end of the term 70% of all fertile married couples will have family planning information and contraceptives.

Mr. Chairman,

Education and health are the largest and most visible areas related to the people’s welfare but there are others as well.

In housing, we have sought not only to stimulate the construction sector during the Asian Financial Crisis but to provide the people with a basic need. Through the stimulus package we initiated in May 1998, we have constructed 50 towers of social housing apartments and refurbished 80,000 existing homes. On top of this, we are fulfilling the target set out in Repelita VII of building 450,000 houses and at 410,000 houses, on track to exceed this target before the completion of Repelita VII.

We seek to protect those who are vulnerable and at risk of becoming vulnerable. We initiated a campaign to build awareness of domestic violence against women in 1999 and built upon that by passing the Abolition of Domestic Violence Law. The law gives the Government authority to take action such as issue restraining orders against abusers and provide counselling for those who are abused. We have also passed a Protection of Children Law.

The Government also paid attention to the welfare of the elderly and the disabled. With the former, we passed a Welfare of the Elderly Law in 1998 and with the latter we already have a Disability Law passed by the past Government. With both we began taking steps to provide special facilities such as initiating identification cards that is eligible for life for those over 65 and making it compulsory for buildings to have wheelchair facilities to facilitate both the elderly and disabled.

Our nation being susceptible to disaster, in 2000 the Government consolidated our disaster management which hitherto is handled on a non-structural and coordinative basis into a formal organization by forming the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). The BNPB is now in a consolidation and capacity-building face so that it can fulfill its functions.

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

The overarching goal of the Government as far as the people’s welfare is concerned is the establishment of a National Social Insurance System. This system will include the existing Social Security scheme which we are encouraging all workplaces to have for their employees. This system will also also include the establishment of a National Health Insurance System and preparations for this, whether technically, administratively and otherwise, are still ongoing.

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

The welfare of the Indonesian people should not only be measured by the educational, health, and other social services and facilities that are available to them. It should also be measured by how the Government has facilitated the people to practice their religion.

In the past 5 years, the Government and the DPR has passed 3 important legislations in the area of religion. In 1999, the Hajj Law was passed which regulated the way Hajj pilgrimage is to be managed for those of the Islamic faith as well as mandating that the Ummah Endowment Fund be subjected to audit by the BPKP. Two years later, in 2001 the Government and the DPR has passed the Zakat Law and the Waqf Law. The former regulates the management of zakat funds, drawn from Muslims as they fulfill their religious obligations to donate alms. The latter regulates processes by which Muslims can make charitable endowments.

During this term, it is not only the majority which is now free to practice their faith. In 2001, the Government has once again recognized Confucianism’s existence as a religion in Indonesia and thereby reversing a decision made by the past government. From 2002 onwards, the Government has also begun to recognize the Lunar New Year as a National Holiday in our calendar.”

---
No sign of disapproval from PKPB. Don't think they want to disagree with the construction of schools and social housing.

The pattern for the Compulsory Education is that it has always taken 10 years to complete. The Compulsory 6-year education was launched in 1984 and completed in 1994 so I’m just having Try following that pattern with the Compulsory 9-Year Education program being launched in 1984 and scheduled to be completed in 1994.

For the non-Indonesians, a Puskesmas is a state-run clinic.

The National Social Insurance System will be ITTL’s BPJS Kesehatan and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

The ITTL BNPB comes into existence 8 years before its OTL counterpart.

Next up: Foreign Affairs and Defense. Have a happy harpitnas/long weekend for those in Indonesia.

 

[GSD310]

“International Stature:
Fellow Indonesians,

What we have achieved economically and what we have achieved by undertaking national development, does not only make it possible for us to look after the welfare and well-being of our fellow citizens. It also makes us better able to make our voice heard to the world and for the world, in turn, to better hear what we are saying.

The international situation in the last few years had developed into something that experts are still debating about: are we in a New Cold War between the United States and Russia or are we now in a multipolar world where nations such as France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, China, and India are aspiring and seeking to become the “poles” in such a world. After 11th September 2001, the world also became a more complicated place with the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC, and Chicago.

In this international environment, the Government continues to adhere to the principles of our tried and tested free and active foreign policy. Indonesia continues to be active in such forums as ASEAN, APEC, and NAM while also deepening our participation in the G-15, beginning to take a serious part of the IORA and being invited to the first unofficial BRICI Summit scheduled for May 2003 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. We have attracted investment from the developed world while intensifying trade from the developing world.

Ultimately however, what we are freely and actively pursuing in our free and active foreign policy are our interests. This is best represented by the Government’s success in securing a 10-year moratorium on the repayment of debt in 2001 from the West whilst at the same time being receiving a $1 billion credit to purchase weapons from Russia.

In foreign policy, Indonesia’s priority remains our immediate region of Southeast Asia and ASEAN, the organization we have helped build and foster for 35 years. In the present international climate, it is the Government’s stance that ASEAN must seek its own path, a path that will be beneficial to the interests of its member states. But in order to that, ASEAN members must not allow themselves to be turned into the proxies of powers seeking to increase their influence in Southeast Asia.

From 2000 onwards, the Government began promoting the idea that the best source of national security for Southeast Asian nations is from Southeast Asia itself by working together and coordinating our stance together on the major issues of international affairs. There are nations in our region for which this idea of ours has struck a chord, there are nations that are still doubt about and there are nations which have outright rejected our idea.

These differences of opinion is fine and Indonesia accepts this as part of the discussion and debate in the region. We accept it because we are not a hegemon seeking to impose our will on the region nor are we aspiring to be one. In playing a more assertive role over the past few years in the region, the Government is mindful that when it comes to matters regarding Southeast Asia, the best way forward is together and collectively, with the combined strength of all ASEAN members moving as one rather than one nation forcing its will on the others.

What has not been up for discussion and debate has been the fact that there are powers seeking to actively interfere in Southeast Asian affairs. In 2001, this power tried to establish a party leadership in Vietnam friendly to it though the resilience of the Vietnamese was once again not to be underestimated. In 2002, more successfully, this power supported a coup d’etat against the rightful government in Myanmar.

Our policy as regards the People’s Republic of China is that it must be checked and prevented from gaining undue influence in the region. If the People’s Republic of China truly respects ASEAN and Southeast Asia, it must respectfully engage the region in dialogue instead of seeking to infiltrate ASEAN through the cultivation and installation of governments that adopt a friendly stance towards it. It is for this reason that in the aftermath of the 2002 Myanmarian Coup, the Government has decided to welcome the presence of Lt. Gen. Shwe Mann, his men, and their families…”

Applause from the MPR’s PKPI Delegates as the camera pans to Shwe Mann who was sitting in the audience.

“If the Government has not taken this step then we would not have been observing to ASEAN’s commitment to Southeast Asia being a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality. We would not have been observing ASEAN’s commitment that Southeast Asia will be “free from any form or manner of interference by outside Powers”. The Government did not take this step out of bravado, the Government took this step because Indonesia is committed to ASEAN.

Indonesia’s commitment to ASEAN was why we lobbied for the resumption of the implementation of AFTA. This was a commitment agreed to in 1992 by ASEAN Members and which was suspended in 1998 so as to allow member states to focus on their own economic recovery. At the 2002 ASEAN Summit, Indonesia threw its support behind the resumption of AFTA and ASEAN Member States agreed that AFTA will resume again on 1st January 2004.”

From his seat with the MPR’s Group Delegates, Ginandjar Kartasasmita watched on as the PKPI Delegates erupted into applause again.

“Another matter in foreign policy where the Government took a decisive stance is as relates the aftermath of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. On this matter, the Government’s stance is very clear, that the Government is firmly against terrorism perpetrated by religious extremists and is willing to take action against those intending to express their religion extremism through terrorism.

The Government took this stance not because it is anti-Islamic but precisely because it is very aware of Indonesia’s place in the Islamic world. We do not have the Two Holy Mosques but we do have the largest Islamic population in the world and based on this fact, the Government has determined that the perpetrators of 9/11 and their sympathizers cannot be allowed to get away with claiming that they speak for all Muslims. I have said it before and I will say again now, if someone commits a crime in your name and you do not like it, it’s not enough for you to say that you do not approve. You have to also take action against those very same people.

It is for this reason that we conducted operations against Jemaah Islamiyah in August 2002 and why we have sent a contingent of ABRI soldiers to the Philippines to help fight insurgents there in December 2001. We have a role to play in this matter and we will continue to play it.

Defense and Security:
Mr. Chairman,

The level of national development we have achieved has not only made it possible for the Government to look after the well-being of the nation and to have stature in international affairs, it has also made it possible for us to strengthen our military capability.

Indeed, other than the various infrastructure projects which we have completed, the next most visible sign of the progress the Government is making are in the weapons systems that has been procured and being delivered to Indonesia. From the outset, I wish to state to Indonesians and to other nations around the world, that Indonesia does not have aggressive intentions. Indonesia merely wishes to have a level of defense spending commensurate with its international stature, its current level of economic development, and, bearing in mind that Indonesia’s defense spending as a percentage of its GDP is still low when compared with other Southeast Asian nations, at a level nearer to that the defense spending of other Southeast Asian nations.

Let me also reiterate that our defense budget and defense spending is conditional on the nation’s economic performance and on prevailing economic conditions. It will never get in the way of our other national development priorities. During the Asian Financial Crisis between 1997 and 1999 and during the world economic downturn in 2001, the Government limited procurement; accelerating again when it has become clear that the economic situation was conducive.”

The camera panned to Vice President JB Sumarlin sitting in his seat and nodding in agreement to what was being said.

“In addition to the procurement of various weapons systems for the four branches of ABRI, the Government also strengthened ABRI’s capacity by expanding it. At this very moment that I am standing in front of you, the Army’s Kostrad now has a 3rd Infantry Division and this division is already operational. Meanwhile, the expansion of the Army’s Regional Military Commands from 10 to 15, the expansion of the Navy’s Fleet Commands from 2 to 3, and the expansion of the Air Force’s Operation Commands from 2 to 3 only awaits final approval. Meanwhile, expansions of the Air Force’s Korpaskhas, the Navy’s Marine Corps, and the Police’s Brimob are further down the pipeline.”

There was applause, this time from the ABRI Delegates’ section. Sitting in the front row of the ABRI Delegates, Wiranto’s stoic expression failed to hide his pride at the work that had been done while behind him, the cameras captured Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono looking skeptical.

“The Government also sought to strengthen ABRI by testing it. In December 2002, ABRI held its first Joint Military Exercise since 1996. The aim of this exercise was to test ABRI’s capability to conduct joint operations and especially both jungle and urban warfare. I acknowledge that this exercise did not go smoothly and as the constitutional Supreme Commander of ABRI, I take responsibility for it. As we speak, a review of the Joint Military Exercise and the improvements that could be enacted, is being formulated.

Honorable Delegates of the MPR,

As regards the security situation in this country over the course of the present term, I can report to the MPR that the overall security situation has been conducive. The Government’s successful management of the Asian Financial Crisis as well as excellent economic conditions has meant that the adverse situations which had caused social unrest in other nations experienced do not exist. Notable exceptions to this were the July 1998 riots in Dili when Pro-Secessionists and Pro-Integration crowds clashed and rioted as well as in January 1999 in Ambon when there were clashes between locals and transmigrants. In both of these situations, the situation was handled and kept under control by ABRI personnel.

We continue to reorganize our security apparatus so that they can better conduct their duties. One such case is the Government’s reorganization of BAKIN so that it now has provincial offices and so that it can better gather intelligence.

Ideological Matters:
Mr. Chairman,

In the area of ideology, the Government’s fundamental stance is clear: we are for Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. And we have continued the P4 Training Program conducted by the BP-7 which disseminates knowledge of our ideology to members of society. In 2000, we streamlined the P4 Training Program with the Lemhanas’ National Vigilance Training so that all P4 Training participants can have a more complete ideological dissemination without having to go through a similar process twice to get their certification.

On a more practical level, the Government continues to maintain vigilance against Pancasila’s ideological enemies. The first of these ideological enemies was clear, it tried to overthrow the Government and replace Pancasila with its own class-based ideological beliefs in 1965. We overcame it and we banned it in 1966 though we remain vigilant. This is what we in Indonesia refer to as the Extreme Left, what the world recognizes as Marxism-Leninism.

But we also have a second ideological enemy. It also seeks to overthrow the Government and replace Pancasila with its own ideological beliefs of establishing a state on the basis of religion. This is what the world would eventually recognize as religious extremism in the aftermath of 9/11 but something which we in Indonesia recognize as the Extreme Right.

And even before 9/11, the Extreme Right reared its ugly head. In February 2000, the then-Chairman of the BP-7 was assassinated and the assassin was identified as a member of Jemaah Islamiyah. This caused us become more vigilant against the Extreme Right and in January 2001, the Government conducted Operation Sledgehammer which resulted in the arrests of individuals with links to Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaeda.

After 9/11, we intensified our campaign against the Extreme Right. In September 2001, we managed to dispose of a Jemaah Islamiyah operative and found evidence on his laptop that there were plans to conduct terrorist attacks on 20 churches in December 2000. Finally in August 2002, we conducted a simultaneous operations against more Jemaah Islamiyah operatives, shooting some dead, arresting others, and then declaring Jemaah Islamiyah as a banned organization.

In a certain way, the Extreme Right is a more cunning opponent than the Extreme Left. It hides behind something that a majority of Indonesians hold dear: their faith. But we must have the courage to take a decisive stand. I myself adhere to Sharia Law as a Muslim but if Sharia Law becomes a political matter and people want to establish an Islamic State, I will not let that stand. There is no such thing a state based on religion in Indonesia.”

---
For the sections on foreign affairs and defense, I didn’t go in detail about various agreements and various weapons that are procured because I thought people would be familiar with. Instead, I focused on Try’s philosophical approaches to, respectively, a key aspect of his foreign policy and defense policy.

For foreign policy, I focused on Try’s attitude towards China and how he needs the other SE Asian nations’ help to stand up to China. For defense, I focused on how he wants to increase defense spending but won’t let it get to the point that it disturbs the economy.

Most of the expansion of ABRI being mentioned here brings forward OTL’s expansion of the TNI by nearly 15 years.

Ditto the expansion of BAKIN to having offices in the provinces is something that only happens in OTL in 2010s.

Try uses New Order terminology here to describe Pancasila’s ideological opponents: Extreme Left for communism and Extreme Right for those wanting to establish an Islamic State.

The final few lines of this chapter is based on OTL Try’s comments in this video:

 

[Fialnir]

Every part so far have been a joyeus ride... But at the of every part i also feel pain for the so much opportunity that were loss due to the mismanagement in 1998 and the socio-political situation of 2001-2014

Anyway can't wait for the final part WUUUHUUUUUUU

 

[Kosaki_MacTavish]

For a second i thought that after Try denounces both China's interferences and Nyunt's regime, and have Shwe Mann attending the session by himself, he would directly told the MPR delegates that he officially made the exiled Myanmarese part of the ABRI (the Auxiliary Battalion), but nice of him for holding back lol.

Still anxiously waiting for "The Collision Course" event

 

[Gillan1220]

Good job on Try on getting ASEAN to focus on Southeast Asian affairs. Especially he knows about the creeping influence of the PRC in the region.

Anychance this New Cold War would have ASEAN as a power bloc? Or is ASEAN firmly in the U.S. and Allies camp just like OTL (save for Cambodia which is a Chinese partner)?

 

[KderNacht]

There was applause, this time from the ABRI Delegates’ section. Sitting in the front row of the ABRI Delegates, Wiranto’s stoic expression failed to hide his pride at the work that had been done while behind him, the cameras captured Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono looking skeptical.

In my mind's eye I feel like SBY always looked like he's mildly constipated, even in his presidential picture.

Every part so far have been a joyeus ride... But at the of every part i also feel pain for the so much opportunity that were loss due to the mismanagement in 1998 and the socio-political situation of 2001-2014

Anyway can't wait for the final part WUUUHUUUUUUU

On the other hand, because we were down so much in '97-'98, we thrived after 2008 as China's development dragged us along. Even in the last 3 years our interest rates didn't move all that much because Sri Mulyani focused on stability at all costs.

 

[TimTurner]

I liked his speech.