"We have to ensure that our future is the sea. Therefore, we have to enforce maritime sovereignty in accordance with the concept of global maritime axis," President Jokowi said.
Kotabaru, South Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - The sea will play an increasingly important role in the future of Indonesia, and so, the government will continue to take various steps to enforce its maritime sovereignty, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"We have to ensure that our future is the sea. Therefore, we have to enforce maritime sovereignty in accordance with the concept of global maritime axis," President Jokowi noted during the commemoration of National Integrity Day here on Monday.

The head of state remarked that the National Integrity Day, known as Nusantara Day, will continue to serve as a reminder to the public that Indonesia is a maritime nation with more than 17 thousand islands.

The inception of Nusantara Day dates back to a declaration conveyed by former Indonesian prime minister Djuanda on Dec 13, 1957, which was called as the "Juanda Declaration."

It was a declaration stating to the world that Indonesia is the sea, including the sea around, between, and within the Indonesian archipelago into a single homeland territorial integrity.

The declaration was regarded as the countrys cornerstone to become an archipelagic nation and was eventually used as a concept to establish the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

The Nusantara Day has been commemorated since 1999 with official recognition being imprinted in Presidential Decree No. 126/2001.

President Jokowi emphasized that the Indonesian people must imbibe the spirit of Nusantara Day in order to maintain the nations unity and to avoid disintegration.

This years commemoration is also aimed at encouraging people in a bid to make the country a better place in the future.

Indonesia, which is home to several tribes in the Southeast Asian region, is made up of five major islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua, and over 17 thousand smaller islands in its territory that span 3,977 miles between the Asian and Australian continents, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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