"We have left the seas, oceans, straits, and bays too long. Now is the time for us to get back and revive all this," the president said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The newly installed Indonesian President Joko Widodo revealed in his first speech about plans to revive Indonesias past maritime glory.

"We have left the seas, oceans, straits, and bays too long. Now is the time for us to get back and revive all this. We must be glorious at sea as reflected in the slogans of our ancestors in the past. We can echo the slogan again," the president remarked while addressing the plenary session of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) here on Monday.

Jokowi called on all Indonesians to work hard in developing the maritime sector as the future of the state depends on it.

"We have worked as hard as possible to get Indonesia back to its previous maritime states status. Oceans, seas, straits, and bays are the future of our civilization," the new president noted.

Jokowi and Jusuf Kalla were inaugurated as president and vice president in a ceremony attended by various heads of government and state representatives.

Six foreign heads of state and 13 special envoys were present during the inauguration of Jokowi as Indonesias seventh president here on Monday.

The six leaders were Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste President Taur Mata Huak, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Papua New Guinean (PNG) Prime Minister Peter ONeill, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Other foreign ministers and dignitaries attending the ceremony included Japans former prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, the US Secretary of State John Kerry, Filipino Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario, New Zealands Foreign Minister Murray McCully, Thai Deputy Prime Minister, the Sri Lankan industry and oil minister, the Russian industry and trade minister, and Turkeys trade minister. Special envoys from South Korea, Canada, and China were also present during the ceremony.

President Jokowi and Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla took oath of office during the plenary session of the MPR led by its Speaker Zulkifli Hasan.

Jokowi is the second president to be directly elected by the Indonesian people after Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who led the country during the last decade.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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