REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By Nasihin Masha

On Tuesday evening, May 5, President Joko Widodo invited 17 senior journalists to the State Palace. Topics were limited to only talk about the economy. However, the talks here and there still mention other topics, including the performance of the minister. In fact, the President explicitly mentioned two ministers whose performance was not clear and not appropriate his explanations to them.

The event was guided by Teten Masduki, anti-corruption activists whom now help Jokowi. President was also accompanied by Chief of Presidential Staff, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan and State Secretary Minister, Pratikno. Three deputies of the presidential staff were also present. There were also present Sukardi Rinakit and AAGN Ari Dwipayana, an observers and academics whom now become special staffs. The talks were interspersed with a dinner that lasted relax.

President explained what his government has done. Starting from the new revised budget which approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) on February 13, 2015, until about diplomacy and impromptu visits (blusukan). He also changed cabinet meetings. He was no longer hold meetings involving many ministers.

He turned it into confined meeting but often. Until now there were 65 closed meeting, compared with 12 times cabinet meeting until April. The meetings did not need stay long, just 1.5 hours but there was already a decision. The themes dominated the meeting were about the economy (51 times), followed by about politics, law and human rights (13), PMK (13), and maritime (8).

He changed diplomacy meetings too. Still there were meeting involving many officials, but not too long. After that, he only spoke person-to-person, especially with large investors such as Japan, China, Singapore, even with the world's top CEOs.

The private meeting lasted longer. He will speak to the point to the people. That patterns, he valued were more effective. The President also has a real time development data of development project. In doing so, he could monitor them accurately.

After going through the government administrative process, a small portion of state budget funds began to melt into the community since late April. Whereas, the projects which must go through a tender or auction were need the process about 2-3 months.

To show the government's work, Jokowi also active in the inauguration of development projects in various regions in Indonesia. For example, the construction of toll roads, power plants, ports, dams, and so on. He was also active invited international investors for the construction of a mass rapid rail transport long-distance trans-Sumatra and Java as well as high-speed rail on the Greater Jakarta.

The pattern of the original construction of toll roads which on the first awaiting completion of land acquisition per section turned into did not limited by land acquisition. It was so that development could be run immediately.

Infrastructure development was Jokowi’s first priority. Only in that way logistics costs become much cheaper and travel time become much faster. Only in that way investors in other fields will come by itself. On the other hand, social mobility was also easier. Thus, the downstream industry program that he also campaigned could be easily done.

Meanwhile, the second priority is the tourism sector. The first step is to add visa-free facilities to 30 countries for a total of 45 countries, since March. With Indonesia's diverse tourist destinations and multi segment, the number of tourist arrivals could be higher than Malaysia. But, in fact there were only less than 10 million tourists per year. Meanwhile, Malaysia could reach about 24 million tourists.

Jokowi admitted that the economic growth experienced slowdown. However, it has happened since 2012. Incidentally, on the previous day, Monday, May 4, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced a report on the economic development of the first quarter of 2015. The Indonesian economy grew 4.71 percent, the lowest number since 2009.

It was predictable. First, oil prices fell. Second, commodity prices fell. Third, the downward trend in global economic. On the other hand, the purchasing power in the country also deteriorated following the increase in fuel prices as well as a number of other tariffs.

Besides, the slow ratification of the revised budget (APBNP), for Jokowi, the growth rate was still good with the domestic and global situations that were sloping. However, he was optimistic that, after this the economy will rebound. He showed the initial data about it. There was an increasing trend in a number of sectors. At the end of the year will be even more visible again.

Jokowi’s optimistic tone and face were very noticeable. Systematic measures which he had done, also he stated explicitly. However, the press and the public did not catch all of it. There was a chasm. There was a problem of communication in the government. Public was only captures policy about the increase in fuel prices, electricity rates, gas prices, and rising prices of basic necessities, especially rice.

On the other hand, the public was also only captures political noise on level elite which totally unrelated to the lives of many people. There was a dominant concern of the public that the solidity of a weak government will be maintained permanently.

However, Jokowi denied. He proved to the smoothly political process in the House of Representatives (DPR), as well as questions about the revised budget and about approval of National Police chief.

He admitted there was uproar. Regarding the removal of subsidies, he also called it a bitter pill to be healthy, especially be felt after three years. Admittedly, the negative impact of the policy was more hit the lower-middle-class residents, while the population of upper-middle relatively still could handle it.

Indeed, the history of mankind was always the history of sacrifice and suffering of the lower-class citizens.

Peter L Berger, a renowned sociologist, noted, all people were like vultures that live off the suffering of the past. Increasingly drawn to the period further back, the monument was increasingly mass suffering and invisible.

Seeing pyramid monuments actually witnessed their sacrifices. And we are the ones that the vultures, scavengers those who 'sacrificed'. "Historians were very proficient in burying human individual’s misery that was considered trivial into what was called the great deeds or magnalia," said Berger.

Berger said, the formula commonly used to provide such justification like this, roughly as follows "The X event caused great suffering to many people who experienced it at the time, but finally brought some good because it raised the Y event".

We revealed it not to sue. But we must be aware of their sacrifices, which often only be seen as mere statistics. By remembering their sacrifice, then we are responsible to dismantle the structural roots of the current situation. Our optimism must be lined with awareness, not optimism in an empty space.

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