The 64th Indonesian Independence Day (Hong Kong)

Below is a message from Consul General of The Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong, Ferry Adamhar, in celebration of the 64th Anniversary of the Indonesian Independence. The message was published on a Hong Kong Local Newspaper, The Standard, on August 17, 2009 (Monday), page 16.

[Start]
In its endeavour to nurture democracy, Indonesia must also deal with some challenges. Recent terrorist bombing in Jakarta appeared to be one of the biggest challenges that Indonesia has to courageously deal with. Such tragic attacks posed an assault to democracy and freedom in Indonesia. Nonetheless, Indonesia remains steadfast in its commitment and vigilance against terrorism. Furthermore, our courage in consolidating our democracy and bringing prosperity to our people will not be deterred by such cowardly acts. The continuously nurtured political climate and economic development in the past five years provide strong foundation for Indonesia; the terror results in insignificant negative impact on Indonesia's strong economy and positive image.

Indonesia's economy is now one of the most stable among Asian nations. The stable political climate is one of the factors that make investors come to Indonesia for a good investment. Challenged by the current financial tsunami, in 2009 Indonesia's economy is expected to grow by about four percent. Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati predicts that the economic growth in the first semester of 2009 may reach 4.1 percent, and in the second semester 4.6 percent, bringing the total to 4.3 percent. In spite of the fact that the GDP growth slowed from 6.4% y-o-y (Q4 2008) to 4.4% y-o-y (Q1 2009), this is better than expected; better than almost all developed economies, and better than most Asian nations. Current economic slowdown was much less distinct and has been more moderate than for many other countries, especially among Southeast Asian. In the first quarter this year, externally focused sectors continued to be impacted by the global slowdown, while domestic demand rebounded on optimistic consumer confidence, stable retail prices and renewed investor confidence. Private consumption, which accounts for 60% of GDP, also remains robust.

As one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world, with significant deposits of gold, copper, silver, tin and coal, Indonesia is among the world's leading coal producers and plans to double its coal use by 2025, mostly to generate electricity. In addition, Indonesia is one of the world's main oil producers, although the production has fallen in recent years. It also has great potential for renewable energy, especially geothermal, which can help sustain the long-term economic growth. With the assumption that the growth will continue steadily, the baseline projection for the economic growth in 2010 and 2011 will be 6.9% and 7.1%.

In the manufacturing sector, Indonesia is one of the favourable place as an alternative production base. And industry could easily find the labour resources; vast landl; natural resources (65% of coal used for Hong Kong electricity is from Indonesia); as well as infrastructure and utilities. In 2007, Indonesia's strong attempt to boost better economic and investment climate was confirmed on the new investment law No. 25/2007 and Law on Special Economic Zones 2007 which is favourable for foreign investors. The improvement of infrastructure (roads, railways, airports and seaports facilities, and telecommunication) is also prioritized.

In its relation to Hong Kong, in 2008 Indonesia was Hong Kong's 20th largest trading partner, and 23rd largest export destination (6th largest among ASEAN-10). Moreover, Hong Kong's total exports to Indonesia increased by 20.1% YoY to US$ 2,177 millions. Major export items included telecommunication equipment and parts (37% of the total), knitted or crocheted fabrics (7.1%), woven cotton fabrics (5.9%), semi-conductors, electronic valves, and tubes (3.1%), and computers (2.7%).

On the other hand, Hong Kong's imports from Indonesia grew by 10.9% YoY to US$ 2,302 millions in 2008. Major imports included coal (33.2% of the total), edible products and preparations (11%), telecommunication equipment and parts (8.3%), electrical machinery and apparatus (2.8%), and electrical apparatus for electrical circuits (2.7%).

As one of its main programs of Visit Indonesia Year 2009, this year Indonesia is even more prepared to be the host of Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE). Apart from Bali that has been a magnet for many international-scale business, social and cultural events, Indonesia offers you many other venue to organize an event : Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan and other rising MICE starts, such as Bandung, Batam, Padang, Makassar, and Manado. Additionally, within the sphere of democracy, 491 different ethnic groups and tribes who speak of 726 different languages reside peacefully side by side in more than 17,000 beautiful islands, stretched accross the equator. With these differences Indonesia offers ample variety of tourism industries and destinations.

For those who want to spend their holiday or spend some leisure time, Indonesia is the right place to be since it offers diverse tourism activities and destinations for different types of travellers.

Allow me also to express my sincere gratitude to the Government and People of the People's Republic of China for their continued support to maintaining and enhancing the development of a fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship between Indonesia - Hong Kong SAR - the People's Republic of China.

And for the Indonesian community in Hong Kong, Dirgahayu Kemerdekaan Indonesia.
[End]