Indonesia: Jokowi vows to prioritize structural reforms in ‘second term’

• President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has reaffirmed his commitment to structural reforms during his “second term” to attract more investment to the country and boost exports, saying that Indonesia needed to work hard to realize its immense potential as an economic powerhouse.
• Speaking before regional leaders during the National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas) on 9 May 19 at the Hotel Shangri-La in Jakarta, Jokowi said structural reforms, including cutting red tape and slimming down the bureaucracy, would be one of his main priorities over the next five years.
• Jokowi added that he was committed to dissolving state institutions that had proved ineffective, as a leaner bureaucracy would allow the government to respond with flexibility to the latest developments.
• He affirmed that his administration would not shy away from making bold structural reform policies, as he had been successful in his reelection bid in the presidential election on 17 Apr 19.
• Jokowi said structural reforms, which would attract export-oriented and import-substitution investments, were necessary to solve Indonesia’s persisting current account deficit — an indicator widely cited as a major cause of 2018’s volatility of the rupiah.
• During the Musrenbangnas, National Planning Development Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro submitted to Jokowi a technical design of the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) for 2020-2024 and “Indonesia 2045”, a long-term vision toward the centenary of Indonesian independence.
• Under the next iteration of the RPJMN, the government aimed to grow the economy at an average rate of 5.4% to 6%, while reducing poverty, unemployment and inequality, said Bambang.

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