Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo kicked off his final State of the Nation address on Friday by thanking the Indonesian people for their support throughout the past 10 years of his leadership.

Jokowi – who donned predominantly black Betawi traditional attire – spoke in front of lawmakers and senior government officials at the parliamentary building in Jakarta.

This officially became Jokowi's last state address before he is set to step down from office on Oct. 20. Jokowi first rose to power with Jusuf Kalla as vice president in 2014, and got re-elected for a second term in 2019.

"Today, as we mark our last moment, together with [Vice President] Ma'ruf Amin, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude. Thank you very much to you all, for all Indonesians wherever you are, who have come together these past 10 years to pass one obstacle after another, taking one step after another, facing one change after another. So we as a great nation can reach this point," Jokowi said.

"A point which can be the launch pad for our advancement in the future."

Jokowi's 10-year presidency has witnessed major infrastructure development, which he often claimed to be pivotal to making the country more attractive in investors' eyes. Some notable infrastructure projects include Southeast Asia's first high-speed train Whoosh and the new capital Nusantara.

In his final state address, Jokowi said that Indonesia had built roads in villages, spanning a total of 366,000 kilometers. Many Indonesian villages also saw the construction of new bridges – totaling 1.9 million kilometers – over the past decade.

"We have built 2,700 kilometers of new tollways, 6,000 kilometers of national roads, 50 new ports and airports, 43 dams, as well as 1.1 million hectares of new irrigation networks," Jokowi said.

Jokowi ended his speech with an apology, admitting that he is "far from perfect" as an individual.

"Sorry for the disappointed hearts, for the unrealized hopes and dreams. Once again, we would like to apologize. We have done our best for the Indonesian people, for this nation and country," Jokowi said.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/thank-you-for-these-10-years-jokowi-in-final-state-addres