Indonesian President Upbeat in State of Union Address | Voice of America - English
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono gave an upbeat assessment on the state of the nation during his annual address to parliament and vowed to tackle the nation's energy crisis.
Inhis State of the Union Address to Parliament Friday IndonesianPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sounded optimistic about thenation's economy, his government's efforts to crack down on graft andcorruption, and vowed to tackle the country's power supply crisis. Presidentialspokesman Andi Mallarangeng said rising oil prices have affected theeconomy, but growth was expected to hold steady in 2009 at just over 6percent. "Although we have also been affected by the globaleconomy, we are optimistic because our economy is still growing over 6percent per year for the last eight quarters, and the first quarter ofthis year we still grow at 6.4 percent and so we are cautious but weare optimistic about the situation," he said. PresidentYudhoyono said he would try to solve the country's growing energycrisis through projects to develop alternative energy such asmicro-hydro power, biofuel, and geothermal, aiming to expand the country's electricity capacity by 30 percent next year. Populationand economic growth have left power suppliers unable to meet biggerelectricity demands, causing growing power shortages throughout thenation. In addition, much of Indonesia's domestic coal is beingexported to China and India for greater profit while the country reliesmainly on coal and oil to meet its electricity demands. PresidentYudhoyono also pledged peaceful elections scheduled for next year, butdid not formally declare his intentions to run, although he is widelyexpected to do so. The president also pointed out Indonesia'ssuccess in resolving a number of religious conflicts in the countryincluding the troubled region of Poso on Sulawesi island, and the separatist rebellion in Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island. Presidentialspokesman Mallarangeng says while the government had been successful inits fight against terrorism, it would remain vigilant. "We areupbeat that our records show that we have been able to go after theterrorist activities, terrorist cells, and etcetera," he said. "Thepresident also warns that there is always a possibility [of] attackfrom terrorist [but] we are determined to make sure that any terrorismbased on whatever reason they may be - we will go after them, we willdestroy them." Yudhoyono also vowed to continue to crack down on graft and corruption which is endemic in the country.