Indonesia’s president celebrates the nation’s economic and infrastructure accomplishments in its final state

Indonesian President Joko Widodo emphasized his economic, infrastructure, and development accomplishments in his final state of nation address on Friday, which was delivered months prior to his retirement from the presidency of Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

President Jokowi, as he is affectionately known, emphasized his accomplishments in the construction of roads, bridges, and harbors throughout the world’s largest archipelago.

“We have been able to build a new foundation and civilization… building from the peripheries, building from villages, and building from outermost areas,” he stated to the nation’s legislature.

He stated that his government has constructed 50 new terminals and airports, 2,700 kilometers of new toll highways, and 1.1 million hectares of irrigation canals to date.

The outgoing president, a former successful furniture merchant from Java, also emphasized Indonesia’s economic record, citing a consistent growth rate of 5% in the face of global economic headwinds.

Jokowi cited the national healthcare system, the criminal code revision, and the reduction of extreme poverty from 6.1% to under 1% as notable accomplishments in the country, which is home to over 270 million people.

The Indonesian president is departing office with a robust economic record; however, he is currently facing increasing criticism regarding other aspects of his legacy, such as his efforts to establish his own political dynasty and the deterioration of the judiciary and anti-corruption body.

The age requirement of candidates was amended by the Constitutional Court, which was then commanded by Jokowi’s brother-in-law, in October of last year. This amendment enabled Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, to compete for and secure the vice presidency.

On October 20, Gibran will be inaugurated in conjunction with the president-elect, Prabowo Subianto.

The February elections were won by Prabowo, an ex-commander who was previously prohibited from entering the United States due to his purported human rights record. Jokowi’s influential support was instrumental in his victory.

On Friday, Jokowi concluded his speech by expressing his regret to the citizens of the world’s third-largest democracy for any shortcomings that may have occurred during his time in office.

“Ten years is not a long period to solve all problems in our nation,” according to him.

“It is very possible that I have committed a lot of mistakes.”