INDONESIAN PRESIDENT JOKOWI

CELEBRATES 2 YEARS IN OFFICE

WITH AN EYE ON 2019 VOTE
 Assalamualaikumm warrahmatullahi
wabarakatuh. Hello, ladies and gentlemen, thank
you for coming today. The topic of todays
meeting is Indonesian President Jokowi celebrates
2 years in office with an eye on 2019 vote. Shall
we get started?

INTRODUCTION
 Two years since becoming the seventh
President of Southeast Asia's largest
economy, Joko Widodo has survived a tough
initiation process. The next test: Delivering
on reforms while navigating Indonesia's
complex political system.

BACKGROUND
 There were unreasonably high expectation
that greeted his election, but political
realities quickly burst this bubble. Jokowi's
first year was largely disappointing.

CASE
 The populist leader rose to power in a
campaign that focused on his connection
with low-income Indonesians, who make up
the bulk of the population. The self-professed
metalhead grew up in a Java slum, worked
as a carpenter and then a furniture exporter
before getting elected as mayor of Jakarta,
becoming the first Indonesian president
outside of the military and political elite.

ISSUE
 Having started out as a political outsider, Jokowi's
greatest achievement has been consolidating his
power [in his second year]. Thanks to some shrewd
political maneuvering, he is now the undisputed
master of the political stage and in a strong
position to implement his agenda over the next
three years

REASON
 Given Indonesia's long history of current
account and budget deficits, Jokowi's
efforts to free up fiscal space are
typically regarded as the biggest
feathers in his cap.

BENEVIT
 While Jokowi's approval ratings remain
robustThe Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) pinned it at 66
percent in a survey last monththere is a
sense of growing impatience with his
reform agenda.

WEAKNESS
 The President can currently only make inroads
in certain sectors---infrastructure, fiscal, and
the creative economy---but in order to see
progress in other areas, such as anti-
corruption and human rights, he must be
strong enough to negotiate with vested
interests that resist reforms there.

SUMMARY
 Thank you for your great attention, ladies
and gentlement.
Wassalamualaikum
Warahmatullahiwabarakatuh.

CLOSING