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Presiden Jokowi menghadiri Perayaan Imlek Nasional Tahun 2021, secara virtual dari Istana Kepresidenan Bogor, Jawa Barat, Sabtu (20/02/2021). (Foto: Biro Pers Setpres/Lukas)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo laid emphasis on the concomitant handling of health and economic problems.

"The handling of health and economic problems cannot be separated," the head of state noted in his remarks at the 2021 National Chinese New Year virtual celebrations from the Bogor Palace, West Java, on Saturday.

The president emphasized that the Indonesian nation must be able to demonstrate that health problems can be handled optimally, so that confidence will emerge for economic recovery.

Furthermore, the nation must be able to demonstrate that the social and political situation stays stable, so that the people's purchasing power continues to increase.

"Supply and demand must be raised together and synergistically, and this can not only be done by the government and monetary authorities, but once again the role of the private sector and the business world is also very decisive and becomes the key," the president expounded.The finance ministry had earlier projected that the positive trend in economic recovery observed in the fourth quarter of 2020 will continue this year following an improvement in several indicators.

The national economy contracted 2.19 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 as compared to a contraction of 3.49 percent recorded in the previous quarter.

The ministry noted that this year, several indicators had shown signs of improvement, with the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rising to 52.2 in January 2021, from 51.3 in December 2020.

“This is the highest level in the past six years. Public confidence has also continued its positive trend,” Febrio Kacaribu, chief of the ministry's fiscal policy board, stated//ANT