[Kabar-indonesia] 1 of 3: Text: President's State of the Nation Address 2006

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-1 of 3-

STATE ADDRESS
OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AND
THE GOVERNMENT STATEMENT
ON
THE BILL ON THE STATE BUDGET
FOR THE 2007 FISCAL YEAR
AND
ITS FINANCIAL NOTE
BEFORE THE PLENARY SESSION OF
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

Jakarta, 16 August 2006

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
May we all be bestowed with prosperity,

Honourable Speaker, Deputy Speakers, and Members of
the House of Representatives,
Esteemed Chairpersons, Deputy Chairpersons, and
Members of State Institutions,
Excellencies, the Ambassadors and Representatives of
International Agencies and Organizations,

Ladies and Gentlemen,
My Fellow Countrymen,

Let us offer our praise and gratitude to Allah SWT for
it is with His mercy and grace that we are able to
attend the Plenary Session of the House of
Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia today. I
wish to thank the House, which has provided me with
the opportunity to deliver this state address and the
Government Statement on the Bill on the State Budget
for 2007, and its Financial Note.

Tomorrow, God Willing, we shall commemorate the
historic moments of the sixty-first anniversary of the
Proclamation of Independence of our country. Let us
take a moment to bow our heads to offer our most
profound praise and gratitude to God the Almighty for
the blessing of independence that has been bestowed
upon us. It is also with His blessing, mercy, and
grace that, for the last sixty-one years, our nation
and state remain standing robustly. All of the trials
and tribulations that have come alternatingly during
the last sixty-one years have forged our fortitude and
resilience as a nation to continur striving to reach
high and noble ideals.

As a reflection of history on this auspicious day, we
should all express our highest gratitude and respect
to all of the patriots and heroes of the nation, who
have dedicated their lives, even their body and soul,
to achieve, maintain, and develop the independence. I
also wish to extend my profound expression of respect
to the Presidents who have preceded me, whose
leadership I now perpetuate, namely Dr. Ir. Soekarno,
Grand General Soeharto, Prof. Dr. B.J. Habibie, KH
Abdurrahman Wahid and Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri, for
their dedication and contribution, in leading the
nation and state, so that we have reached the current
state of progress. A similar expression is also
extended to the Prime Ministers of Indonesia --- from
PM Sutan Sjahris to PM Djuanda --- who have led the
government of our country, while we adopted the
parliamentary system of governance in the past.

The commemoration of the historic moments of the
proclamation of independence this year is conducted
with a mixed feeling of happiness and concern. It is
still vivid in our memories, the earthquake and
tsunami disaster that devastated Aceh and the Nias
Islands at the end of December 2004. A similar
disaster, albeit on a smaller scale, once again hit
the southern coast of the Island of Java. Previously,
an earthquake disaster also ravaged Yogyakarta and
Central Java. Meanwhile, earthquakes of smaller
magnitudes also occurred in various regions of the
homeland. Our country is indeed located on a region
vulnerable to disasters. However, this condition
should make our nation tougher, resilient and always
ready to face any challenge and problem. Those
toughness and resilience will become critical capital
in our struggle to develop the nation and state
towards a better condition.

My Fellow Countrymen,

No one nation grows into a great nation without trial.
Attempts to break up the unity of the nation have, on
several instances, occurred; however, they have all
been successfully overcome. Crisis after crisis have
come and gone in the course of our history, however,
we were able to surmount all of them. We are convinced
that the structure and form of the Unitary State of
the Republic of Indonesia, based on Pancasila (the
Five Principles of National Ideology), is an accurate
and final choice. For that determination and choice,
we must continue to develop the state, towards a
situation that is safe and peaceful, just and
democratic, and prosperous, which have become the
ideals and purpose of the independence of our nation.
Conflicts and quarrels must be brought to an end.
Justice and prosperity must continue to be increased.
A sense of safety and peacefulness and a prosperous
condition must be solidified. We should be grateful
that, in the past year, threats and security
disturbances in various regions have abated. The
people who live in areas that were afflicted by
conflicts such as in Poso, the Moluccas, and North
Moluccas have now enjoyed a life that is much safer
and more peaceful. Such is the case in other regions.

In the state address of last year, I have specifically
conveyed the measures that were undertaken by the
Government to settle the conflicts in Aceh and Papua.
Praise be to God, in the past year, we have made much
progress that is full of hope. A situation of security
and peace in Aceh has been realized. Not long ago, I
have adopted the Law on the Governance in Aceh, in
order to meet the hopes of the entire people of that
region. I wish to convey a message to all the parties,
do welcome this law, as foundation to develop the
future of Aceh that is more prosperous. Through a
deliberation process that was democratic and
transparent, the Government and the DPR-RI have worked
hard to produce the said law.

We have also recorded much progress in bringing about
a better atmosphere in Papua. The Government has
always favoured dialogue and persuasive approach in
handling the various issues in that region. We are
grateful that the regional administrative institutions
in Papua have been able to function in implementing
the special autonomy, as we expected. Not long ago,
the process of electing the regional heads (Pilkada)
in Papua ---and also in West Irian Jaya--- has been
successfully conducted in a democratic, safe, and
peaceful manner. This conducive atmosphere is expected
to boost the acceleration of development in that
region, so that the people in Papua can veritably reap
the benefits of independence, such as enjoyed by their
brothers and sisters in other regions. The Government
earnestly considers and takes more concrete measures
to advance the welfare of the people in Papua,
particularly in the areas of health, education, basic
infrastructures, public housing, and food resilience.
The Government undertakes with high seriousness to
provide opportunities and equalities to the original
sons of Papua to develop forward to catch up with the
sons of other regions.

Honourable Members of the House,
My Fellow Countrymen,

In close relation to our mutual effort to safeguard
the sovereignty of our state from any disturbance and
threat, we have no other choice but to develop our
defense. We are grateful that throughout the history
of our state, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has always
been ready and is always at the forefront in defending
the sovereignty of the state. The TNI is currently
carrying out efforts to strengthen and simultaneously
enhance its capability, be it in its organisation,
professionalism of its personnel, as well as its
armaments. The efforts to reactivate various
armaments, which have previously been inoperable due
to the lack of spare parts, have made much progress.
We have also taken measures to procure new weaponries
on a gradual basis, proportional to the capacity of
the budget. Defense cooperation with friendly
countries continues to be increased, including
cooperation in the development of the defense
industry. It is our wish that in the future we shall
be able to meet our own needs in the procurement of
various main equipment of the weapons system.

We indeed do not intend to enlarge our current forces.
What we wish to build is an essential force that we
deem strong enough and able to secure the entire
sovereign territory of our state. The focus of our
defense attention is directed to guard the sea and
land boundaries areas, particularly the outermost and
farther out islands, including setting up security
posts of the TNI. In addition to providing education
and military training, we pay serious attention to the
welfare of the soldiers, so that they are ready at any
time and able to perform their duties to defend the
nation and state. We continuously try to increase the
salary, food allowance, old-age pension, and the
provision and repair of the housing for our soldiers.
Safeguarding and maintaining a secure and peaceful
condition in the country is certainly not the
exclusive duty of the defense and security apparatus,
but it is also the duty of the entire citizenry.
Without the support of the entire people, a secure,
orderly, and peaceful atmosphere would be impossible
to realize.

We should be grateful that the capability of the POLRI
in deterring and takcling threats to the security and
order of the public has now far increased. Stage by
stage, the image of the POLRI as officers of law
enforcement and public security and order guardian is
increasingly ameliorating. Nevertheless, the POLRI
will continue to face challenges that are not light in
tackling the various forms and types of crimes. The
crimes that must be eradicated are not only
transnational in nature, such as narcotics, terrorism,
money laundering, and the trafficking in persons, but
also various conventional crimes that disturb the
public sense of peace and quiet, such as murders,
gambling, armed robbery, thefts, and robberies. For
that reason, the government has adopted a programme on
the enhancement of the professionalism capability of
POLRI in tackling any form of crime, so that the
public can enjoy a sense of safety and tranquility.

We also record much progress in tackling acts of
terror. These are made possible due to the alertness
of the security apparatus, the support of the society,
and enhancement of the international cooperation. I
would like to express my deepest gratitude and
appreciation to all the citizens, who have supported
the tackling of any threat of terror acts, which have
threatened the safety of humans and properties. During
the course of 2006, we are grateful since our country
did not experience terror attack. However, this
growing conducive situation should not make us become
complacent and less vigilant. The police apparatus
have succeeded in dismantling the network and disabled
the terror activities of Dr. Azhary. Nonetheless, the
terrorist group headed by Nurdin Mohammad Top ---- who
until now has not been arrested --- still continues to
carry out his activities. The security apparatus
continue to work hard to eradicate terrorism in the
homeland. However, I would like to reaffirm the stance
of the Government that the efforts to combat terrorism
still adhere to the principles of law and respect for
human rights. The eradication of terrorism has no
relation with any particular religion or identity,
since in reality, in this world, crime and terrorism
are committed by groups with varying religions and
identities.

Honourable Speaker, Deputy Speakers, and Members of
the House of Representatives,
My Fellow Countrymen,

The development of our nation and state cannot
possibly be separated from the effort to create a just
and democratic society. It is within that context that
we are determined to develop and uphold law, eradicate
corruption, and solidify the consolidation of
democracy. The priority of the Government in
eradicating the criminal act of corruption has at the
very least bore fruit. By accelerating their
eradication, it has now step by step started to emerge
a culture of fear of committing corruption. This
momentum is very crucial to be maintained and
nurtured, in order to prevent the emergence of new
cases of criminal acts of corruption. In addition to
maintaining that momentum, the Government also
continues to enhance the capability of the legal
enforcement apparatus to solve cases of criminal acts
of corruption that have occurred. The Government has
succeeded in realizing a synergy with the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK) ----as an independent
entity outside of the Government---- in tackling
corruption. With regard to the cracking down of
perpetrators of the criminal acts of corruption, we
can, at the present, follow together the legal process
of various cases of corruption that have and are being
tried by Courts for the Criminal Acts of Corruption,
as well as by the general judiciary.

The Coordinating Team for the Eradication of the
Criminal Acts of Corruption (Tim Tas Tipikor), which
was established in early 2005, has also taken firm
measures in solving cases of corruption. In tackling
various cases of corruption, the Government remains
steadfast in its stance of no compromise. There shall
never be the term “pick and choose” in cracking down
the perpetrators of corruption, especially corruption
on a large scale that has clearly inflicted losses to
the state finances and brought misery to the people. I
realize that, in consequence of that resolute
attitude, there has emerged a sense of worry, and even
excessive fear some quarters of the decision makers
and the executing apparatus on the ground. I wish to
reaffirm that such worry and fear need not exist, in
so far as one acts in compliance to the prevailing
procedures and regulations. On the other hand, the
legal enforcement apparatus must act cautiously in
receiving and assessing every report, so as not to
take the wrong action. We must prevent the emergence
of slander and the tarnishing of the good name of
others, which could degrade the dignity of someone who
may not be necessarily guilty. I have also instructed
so that the coordination of legal enforcement is truly
conducted well, so as to avoid examination of the same
case over and over again by various institutions,
which disturb the work and business effectiveness. In
order to strengthen our commitment in eradicating
corruption, and in the context of improving the image
of our nation and state in the eyes of the
international community, we have ratified the United
Nations Convention Against Corruption. We also
continue to increase regional and international
cooperation in tackling the criminal act of
corruption.

The effort to eradicate corruption will not succeed
without preventive measures, especially reorganizing
the bureaucracy, and improvement of the salary of our
bureaucratic apparatus. This measure has been and will
continue to be undertaken. The improvement of our
bureaucratic system is conducted by giving more
orientation to the achievement and performance. This
reform is in parallel with the reform of the system of
state financial management, as provided for in Law
Number 17 of 2004. The reform of the bureaucracy will
be conducted comprehensively, be it from the aspects
of its institution, organization, management, as well
as its human resource. Steps toward that direction
have been initiated by formulating three Bills,
namely: (1) Bill on Public Service; (2) Bill on State
Administration; and (4) Bill on the Ethics of State
Officials. Those three Bills have been incorporated
into the National Legislation Programme (Prolegnas)
and will be immediately submitted to the DPR-RI for
deliberations in the forthcoming 2007 year.

Another problem in law enforcement that continues to
preoccupy the attention of the Government is the
trafficking and abuse of narcotics and dangerous
substances (narkoba) or narcotics crimes. Narcotics
crimes continue to pose threats to the survival of
future generations of the nation. Notwithstanding that
the combat against narcotics have been waged
incessantly, acts of narcotics crimes continue to
develop. This year the police have succeeded in
uncovering a number of factories that produce
narcotics and other dangerous substances in huge
quantities.

My Fellow Countrymen,

The development in the legal field is closely related
to our mutual commitment to uphold human rights. We
should be grateful that, due to our common endeavour,
legal norms that are related to human rights, have
become more complete. We have completed the
ratification of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. We have
endeavoured with resolute determination to promote,
protect, and respect human rights. Praise be to God,
within the time frame of the last two years, in our
country, no cases that could be categorized as
constituting gross violations of human rights
occurred. This favourable condition shall continue to
be maintained and preserved.

We shall also continue with the establishment of the
Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, so that it can
become a vehicle to settle the various alleged cases
of gross violations of human rights, aside from the
existence of the available human rights Tribunals.
Meanwhile the resolution on the alleged cases of gross
violations of human rights, prior to and after the
popular consultation in East Timor in 1999 has been
mutually agreed by the Government of Indonesia and
Timor Leste to be settled through the Commission on
Truth and Friendship. It is expected that in the time
frame that has been determined, the commission will
report on the results it has achieved. The improving
human rights condition in the homeland is reflected in
the election of Indonesia as Chair of the Commission
on Human Rights of the United Nations (U.N.) last
year. Indonesia has also been elected as a member of
the newly established U.N. Human Rights Council.

I am gratified to witness the development of our
society that develops more democratic. The right of
every individual to express his or her opion has been
guaranteed by law, and in reality, has been exercised.
It is equally true for the right of every individual
or group of people to convey their aspirations through
a peaceful rally. Our press has developed into one
that is free to cover stories, store and broadcast
news. However, we all realize that press freedom is
not without borders. Press freedom must still be
exercised by respecting human rights and by complying
with the prevailing legal provisions.

The government welcomes the functioning of state
institutions as regulated in our Constitution.
Relations between the Government and other state
institutions proceed healthily and constructively. The
Government is grateful to the House of Representatives
that have succeeded in building appropriate and
responsible relations, in accordance with the mandate
of the law. Let us hope this type of relations could
continue to be maintained, so that the duties to meet
the interests of the people can be performed well. One
of the state institutions stipulated in the
Constitution, which until now has not been
established, is the Presidential Advisory Board. I am
of the hope that, in the not too distant future, the
House and the Government can formulate the Bill to
establish that board, as agreed to in the national
legislation programme.

The democratisation process in the body of the
government is now increasingly reflected in the
election of every Regional Head. In line with
provisions of Law Number 32 of 2004, the Elections of
the Regional Heads (Pilkada) are conducted in a direct
manner by those who are eligible to vote. From June
2005 until June 2006, 257 Pilkadas have been conducted
all over the homeland. Those elections have in general
been conducted safely, peacefully, and democratically.
The Central Government has truly taken a neutral
stance with regard to the process of each election.
Those parties who are dissatisfied with the results of
the elections have taken the legal recourse through
the judicial process. The people have grown more aware
that undemocratic means and extrajudicial avenues are
unacceptable means.

The conduct of the Pilkadas, which in general
proceeded smoothly, demonstrates the strengthening of
the domestic political stability. Such an atmosphere
further encourages the consolidation of the
implementation of regional autonomy as mandated by the
Constitution and Law Number 32 of 2004. In conformity
with the mandate of the Reform, we no longer want our
government to be centralistic. For that reason, the
autonomous regions can now at their own discretion
manage their resources in the regions under their
authority. The regions have also conducted governance
and provide public services in a better manner,
compared to the previous times.

With regard to the foreign policy, I would like to
expound that the Government remain consistent in
implementing the foreign policy orientation that is
free and active. Every step in our foreign policy is
undertaken by advancing --- and we dedicate it to ---
the national interests. The strengthening domestic
political, social, and economic situation has
encouraged us to further activate our role in the
regional and global political arena. We continue to
play an active role in the process of regional
integration towards the achievement of the ASEAN
Community in 2020, and a closer cooperation between
countries in East Asia. Our success in convening the
Asia Africa Summit in the past 2005 has elevated the
stature of our nation and state to a global level. For
that reason, we are beginning to play a more active
role in the establishment of world peace, as mandated
by the Preamble to the Constitution, such as in
handling the Iranian nuclear case, the effort to
reduce the tension on the Korean Peninsula, and our
proactive measures to support the establishment of
peace in the Middle East.

We remain consistent in supporting the struggle of the
Palestinian people to realize a Palestinian State that
is independent and sovereign. In the face of the
deteriorating situation in the Middle East lately, we
have taken proactive measures to end the Israeli
aggression on Lebanon. We, together with Malaysia,
have proposed the convening of the Emergency Summit of
the OIC in Kuala Lumpur, which has produced a
declaration urging the UN to immediately end the
conflict in Lebanon. For that reason, we welcome the
adoption of resolution of the Security Council number
1701 on the past 12 August, which intends to cease
hostilities, and reactivate the peace process in the
region. As a form of our commitment, we have stated
our readiness to join with the U.N. Peacekeeping
force, in order to protect the Palestinian and
Lebanese peoples from Israeli attacks. In the face of
the situation in Iraq, we support the process of
transition in Iraq, so that the Iraki people can
regain their rights and sovereignty to manage and
build their country. The Government will also continue
to enhance international cooperation, be it at the
regional as well as global levels, be it through the
ASEAN forum, as well as other fora, such as the APEC,
the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organization of the
Islamic Conference.

Honourable Speaker, Deputy Speakers, and Members of
the House of Representatives,
My Fellow Countrymen,

In the context of social welfare development, we are
on the path toward achieving the objectives of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015. We have
succeeded in reducing the level of poverty from 23,4
percent in 1999 to 16 percent in 2005. Be that as it
may, that achievement of 16 percent is still far from
the objective that we wish to achieve. The alleviation
of poverty does not merely require high economic
growth, but it also necessitates a quality of growth
that reaches directly to the betterment of the plight
of the poor people. We must ascertain that the
economic growth we are stiving for will guarantee the
realization of the reduction of poverty. Our
development will be in vain if we are not able to lift
our people from the abyss of poverty and backwardness.
For that reason, the Government accords high priority,
and provide for a substantially large budget for the
poor people so that they have the opportunity to enjoy
education, improve their health, and improve the
quality of the environment.

We have carried out the Programme of Cash Assistance
Subsidy during one year to to 19.2 million poor
households. The programme that we conducted in such a
short time, as a measure to overcome the increase in
the price of Oil-Based Fuel (BBM), has succeeded in
reducing the living cost burden of our poorest group.
In 2006, the Government has also provided the School
Operational Assistance (BOS) for the nine-year basic
education to 29.4 million students equivalent to SD,
and to 10.5 million students equivalent to the junior
high school SMP, who are categorized as poor. At the
senior high school level or equivalent to the SMA,
scholarships were made available to more than 698
thousand poor students. The number of SD students and
its equivalent reaches 41 million. Meanwhile, for the
secondary level now total 6.4 million students. This
amount has surpassed the intended target for the
2005/2006 school year. Therefore, the neglect of the
opportunity to have an education, especially for the
poor people, step by step has been overcome. The
Government has seriously encouraged and opened
education opportunities for every child in our
country. Meanwhile, the number of
subdistricts/municipalities that have succeeded in
completing the 9-year compulsory education programme
at the end of 2004/2005 has reached 142
subdistricts/municipalities. This figure has increased
from 77subdistricts/municipalities at the end of
2003/2004.

In parallel to the strong will and seriousness of the
Government to increase the budget for education, in
line with the mandate of the Constitution and the Law
on National Education System, the revitalization of
education continue to be conducted to further increase
the quality of education. In this context, we must be
grateful that in August of this year, our best
students succeeded in winning 28 gold medals in
various international competitions in the fields of
science, mathematics, arts and sports. Among them,
there is a student by the name of Jonathan Pradana
Mailoa, who earned the accolade as The Absolute Winner
in the 2006 International Physics Olympiad in
Singapore. This success has broken the dominance of
Chinese students, and defeated his competitors from
the United States, Germany, and Australia. Meanwhile,
Rudolf Surya Bonay, a student from Papua, succeeded in
winning The First Step to Nobel Prize in the field of
Chemistry. The successes should strengthen the
conviction on the capacity of our young generation,
and compel all of us to work harder in improving the
quality of education in Indonesia.

In the meantime, basic health services for the poor
people and close to poor until 2005 have reached 60
million people. The equitable distribution of health
services is carried out by setting up Community Health
Centres (Puskesmas) at every subdistrict. In the
supply of medicines and health equipment, the
availability of essential generic medicines at the
facilities for basic health services reaches 80-100
percent. In order to help the poor people, the
Government has reduced the price of generic medicines
between 30 to 50 percent last May. In this month of
August, the Government, once again, reduces the price
of 1418 types of generic medicines between 60 to 80
percent. Starting on this 17 August, the Government
will stick the labels of generic medicines as well as
their prices for sale on the market. With the
inexpensive price of medicines, we hope that our
people will be more able to afford them. The price
sticking is also an effort to guarantee that the
prices of medicines are not under the mercy of
speculators. The Government will continue to increase
health services to reach all layers of the society.
Health counseling activities, including the integrated
services posts (Posyandu), have started to be
reactivated. The number of Posyandu that have been
reactivated has now reached 42.221 units all across
the homeland.

 Honourable Leadership and Members of the DPR and
ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me, Honourable Speaker, to shift the subject and
speak about matters related to the economic
development. During the last two years, we have
witnessed the dynamics of global economic development
that provide challenges that are not light to the
management of our economy. The tendency of the high
price of oil and the imposition of relatively tight
monetary policies in several developed countries,
particularly in the United States and the European
Union, have impacted on the national economy. The
coordination between the Bank of Indonesia and the
Government in the management of the macro economic
policies has further ameliorated. This is demonstrated
by the success in maintaining economic stability,
which is a prerequisite for sustained economic growth.
Sustained economic stability has increased the trust
of the businesspeople, as reflected in the entry of
portfolio investments that has stimulated the
improvement of our balance of payment and strengthened
our foreign exchange reserves. In spite of that,
short-term capital flows must be managed prudently and
wisely, for they are vulnerable to sentiments that may
cause economic fluctuations.

The Government and the Bank of Indonesia will continue
to endeavour to perfect the policies, mechanisms,
regulations, instruments, and the quality of the
economic institutions and the financial industry, such
as, among others, stipulated in the package of policy
reform in the financial sector. This measure is
necessary so that our economy has a growing elasticity
and resistance to fluctuations and uncertainties. This
measure is also in line with the medium- and long-term
efforts to increase direct investment, which is
crucial to creating employment opportunities and
reduce poverty, and strengthening our capital account
and foreign exchange reserves. After accelerating the
debt servicing to the IMF in June of this year
amounting to US$3.8 billion, the position of our
foreign exchange reserves is estimated to reach around
US$43 billion at the end of 2006, an increase of 24
percent from US$34.7 billion in 2005.

The improving performance of the balance of payments,
be it from the goods flow as well as capital flow, and
the strengthening position of our foreign exchange
reserves in 2006, have strengthened the exchange rate
of the rupiah to the United States dollar, with a
relatively under control fluctuation. Be that as it
may, we still need to be on the alert to the
possibility of the occurrence of a dynamic shift in
the exchange rate of global currencies, as a result of
the adjustment to the global imbalances. The stability
of the Rupiah exchange rate has supported our effort
to decrease the inflation to a lower level. Up to July
2006, the inflation rate amounted to 3.3 percent, far
lower compared to the same period in the previous year
that recorded 5.9 percent. As a whole, the inflation
target of 8.0 percent in 2006 is projected to be
achievable. In line with the decrease of the inflation
rate, and while still observing the development of
international interest rates, the Bank of Indonesia is
starting to decrease its interest rate in a prudent
manner. That decrease is expected to spur the growth
of investment through the improvement of banking
intermediation, restoring market trust, and decreasing
loan costs. The inflation and interest rate decrease
will also lower the burden for bonds interests within
the State Budget. Even though the macro economic
performance demonstrates quite a meaningful
improvement, the Government is fully conscious that
the effort to ameliorate the welfare of the people has
yet to reach a level that is expected. The dimension
of the problem that is being faced is indeed highly
complex.

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