Indonesian ambassador visits ET, talks about politics, economy

CAIRO - 5 March 2018: The most inspiring things about Indonesia, besides its marvellous nature and beaches, are that it is one of the most promising economies in the world, and one of its most solid democracies; as a representative of Indonesia in Egypt, Egypt Today was interested in inviting Indonesian Ambassador Helmy Fauzy, who paid a visit to our newsroom on Sunday.

The team of Egypt Today got enthusiastic about Fauzy’s presentation about the history of Indonesia, the economic and political transitions it went through, and the optimistic future of the promising Asian country.


Mr. Helmy Fauzy with Egypt Today team on March 04, 2018-
Official Facebook page of Indonesian embassy

Economy Tsunami

“Indonesia suffered for years from what we called ‘economy Tsunami’,” Fauzy told Egypt today referring to the Asian financial crisis that hit the nation in 1997/98 and severely affected its economy, with some reports indicating a 13.7 percent contraction in growth; in one year, the Rupiah weakened from 2,500 Rupiah against the U.S. dollar, to 10,000 Rupiah, and peaking at 17,000 Rupiah.

Twenty years on, Indonesia could recover socially, politically and economically, due to the reforms the government took, according to Fauzy.


Mr. Helmy Fauzy during the seminar with Egypt Today team on March 04, 2018 - Official Facebook page of Indonesian embassy

Emerging Economy

“In 2016, Indonesia’s GDP reached $932.3 billion,” Fauzy said proudly. “We reformed our economy gradually, but the most important element was widening the participating space for the private sector, and narrowing the state’s involvement in the economy,” he added.

The ambassador shared with us the long history of collaboration between Egypt and Indonesia, saying that the trade balance reached 1.4 in 2016, revealing that Indonesian businessmen are scheduled to visit Egypt in May. He also praised the economic reforms in Egypt, affirming that such decisions will attract foreign investments.

“I appreciate President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for maintaining stability in Egypt after a very tough period it went through, which means maintaining stability in the whole Middle East,” Fauzy said. He expressed his wishes for Sisi to win another term in the office in the forthcoming election.

President Sisi was the first Egyptian president to visit Indonesia since 1983 when he visited the country in 2015. Indonesian President Joko Widodo also visited Cairo in October 2017 in an indication of the deep relations between the two countries, and the keenness of President Sisi to enhance the cooperation with an inspiring nation like Indonesia.


: Mr. Helmy Fauzy reads Business Today issue on March 04, 2018 - Egypt Today/Mohamed El-Hosary

A State of Tolerance

About 261 million Indonesians, 300 ethnic groups, live across a chain of 17,508 islands between Asia and Australia, with the world's largest Muslim population and some other 261 religions speaking 730 languages.

“The secret is believing in God, believing in humanity, nationalism, democracy, and consensus,” Helmy answered when he was asked about the secret behind the tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the Indonesian society, which qualified it to be one of the most peaceful places in the world.

The ambassador also confirmed that Indonesia has a very strict policy when it comes to freedom of speech and other freedoms. “Everybody has the right to express his opinion and to object, as long as it doesn’t endanger other freedoms,” he explained.

By the end of our exciting meeting, member of Egypt Today Board of Directors Khaled Salah awarded Ambassador Helmy a special Shield of Honor for his contributions in the Egyptian society and as a thank you for being our guest.

The ambassador gifted Mr. Salah a shield of honor on behalf of the embassy team.


Mr. Helmy Fauzy receives the Shield of Honor from Khaled Salah with Egypt Today team on March 04, 2018 - Official Facebook page of Indonesian embassy