Indonesian Economists Expected to be Agile in Facing Challenges

By Office of Assistant to Deputy Cabinet Secretary for State Documents & Translation     Date 7 September 2022
Category: News
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President Jokowi opens the 2022 Conference of 100 Indonesian Economists, Wednesday (09/07), at Menara Bank Mega Building, South Jakarta. (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Kris)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Wednesday (09/07), officially opened the 2022 Conference of 100 Indonesian Economists. The event, which adopted the theme “Normalize Policies Towards Indonesia’s Economic Recovery”, was attended by 100 economists from various backgrounds.

In his remarks, the President told the audience that they must leave their old ways in facing the current situation which changes rapidly and is full of uncertainties.

“I encourage the economists to not using the existing standards; do not take it normally because this is an abnormal situation, very abnormal. You need an ‘Abu Nawas’ (a character in a story who is famous for his cleverness) vision, agile like a deer,” he said.

President Jokowi also underscored that everyone must do their best to work in this abnormal situation, be it at macro and micro levels.

He went on to say that the rapid changes occurring around the world are the results of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also explained that the Government’s decision to not impose lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic was the right choice since it would only make wider contraction in the national economy.

The pandemic also taught us the importance of consolidation among all components of the nation, including the Central Government, regional governments from provincial level to neighboring unit levels, mass organization, the Indonesian National Defense Forces, the Police, and also the communities in order to tackle many issues.

According to the President, such consolidation must be carried on to face post-pandemic issues and crisis that threaten the world.

“The most important things for me are to maintain unity and solidarity, and to help each other for the sake of the state,” he added.

In the meantime, Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, Tauhid Ahmad, said that he supports the establishment of cooperation among all stakeholders, the community, the Government, the business world, the media, and the academic communities as part of the efforts to restore the national economy. Moreover, concrete actions are also needed in the process by taking into account the current challenges and opportunities.

He also expressed hope that the gathering of 100 economists in this event will generate ideas to draw up the best policies that can be used to recover the country’s economy. (RAS/MMB)

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