Indonesia must focus on core economy to thrive: Jokowi

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has urged his Cabinet to focus on Indonesia’s core economy and business, in order to secure a strong position amid global competition.TheJakartaPost.com

“With that [defining the core business and economy] we can set out our position and differentiation. We can set the brand of the country and resolve problems and stances among the competition,” Jokowi said. The statement was conveyed during the opening of a Cabinet plenary meeting held at the State Palace on Friday. It was Jokowi’s first meeting with the Cabinet after attending recent international forums, namely the G20 Summit in China and ASEAN Summit in Laos.

From the meetings with heads of state at both the G20 and at the ASEAN summit, Jokowi concluded that tight competition between countries was very visible. Every country was participating in the race for global investment and capital flows, he said. To that end, Jokowi stressed that Indonesia must define its core business and economy to ensure a strong position in the global economy.

During the plenary meeting, Vice President Jusuf Kalla gave remarks on the progress of the last 71 years of Indonesia’s economy. (ags)