Post-formalities

THE prestige of President Joko Widodo, which soared at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Beijing, China must not be squandered. This moment should not end merely with memoranda of understanding between Indonesia and prospective investors, but must be followed up with concrete measures.

Jokowi was a star in Beijing. Heads of state and business figures all wanted to meet the former furniture entrepreneur. His speech was uploaded to YouTube, and was watched more than 210,000 times, more than the speech by US President Barack Obama. Speaking in simple English, Jokowi explained about Indonesia's plans for the next five years: construction of roads, ports, agricultural facilities and other infrastructure. At the end of his speech he urged international businesspeople to invest in Indonesia.

November 18, 2014