Jakarta, Hilton News –
Minister of Defense and 2024 presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, who became the keynote speaker at the 2024 Mandiri Investment Forum (MIF) agenda in Jakarta, Tuesday (5/3), received the attention of a number of foreign media.
One of them is Reuters which revealed that Prabowo, who is currently far ahead of his two rivals in the 2024 presidential election, gave a signal that he would be careful in maintaining fiscal so that the economy remains stable if he is officially inaugurated as president.
On the other hand, Bloomberg and the Financial Times also highlighted Prabowo’s desire in five years to strive for Indonesia’s economic growth of 8 percent. This effort will be supported by higher tax collection and fiscal discipline, which are the cornerstones of Indonesia’s economic policy.
The tax revenue target of around 14-16 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by expanding the taxpayer base and not having to go through levy increases, is also in the spotlight.
“Our trade balance has been positive for the past five years. Our reserves are very healthy, but should be better in the coming year. We are determined to maintain this. We are proven to be prudent,” Prabowo said as quoted from Bloomberg, Friday (8/3).
Prabowo’s speech was in the spotlight because it was his first opportunity to appear at a public event after the presidential election on February 14. This moment is considered an effort to dispel investor concerns over his policy plan as well as a glimpse of what his vision is.
At the forum, foreign media also highlighted Prabowo’s statement that he was optimistic that the transition of power from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to the next government would be smooth, because he would continue Jokowi’s policies that had worked well so far.
He also said Indonesia under Jokowi’s leadership has become one of the potential emerging markets in the world and an investment destination. This is not surprising considering the business-friendly policies and the massive infrastructure development drive.
Since taking office in 2014, Jokowi has positioned Indonesia as a key part of the global supply chain for electric vehicles, tapping into Indonesia’s abundant nickel reserves.
The media also highlighted Prabowo’s commitment to provide free lunch and milk for school children in Indonesia at a cost of Rp460 trillion or about 2 percent of Indonesia’s GDP.
He will reform and privatize SOEs that have major interests in energy, finance, telecommunications, agriculture, and other industries.
(rir/rir)