VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

National economic growth is already on the right track and is heading towards a positive growth. Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for National Entrepreneur Development, Arsjad Rasjid in his statement in Jakarta, Wednesday (12/59() said that the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2021 was something to be grateful,  because it took place amid the Covid-19 pandemic that is till hitting Indonesia. He perceived that the smaller contraction in the first quarter of 2021 shows signs of increasingly real economic recovery and is believed to be heading in a positive direction.

Based on the data from the Central Statistics Agency, in the first quarter of 2021, national GDP was still minus 0.74 percent on an annual basis, yet,  improving compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 which was minus 2.19 percent. Another positive factor was that a number of business sectors experienced a positive growth, namely information and communication, water supply, waste management, waste and recycling, and health services and social activities.

Arsjad is optimistic that in the second quarter of 2021, economic growth will be more expansive, with initial estimates in the range of 5-7 percent on an annual basis. This is in line with the increasingly massive implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination, both by the government and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also explained that in May 2021, it is scheduled to start a mutual cooperation vaccination program for workers and their families.

Mutual cooperation vaccines are distinguished from vaccines used in the government programs. This is based on the Regulation of the Minister of Health concerning the Implementation of Vaccinations in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The vaccines that the Chamber will use in the program are the Sinopharm vaccine from China and the Moderna vaccine from the United States. Previously, on April 30, 2021, over  480,000 vaccines from Sinopharm arrived in Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Arsjad also described  that the optimism for economic growth is supported by the Mutual Cooperation vaccination program as a game changer. Vaccination is a major factor in stimulating economic and social activity while still implementing strict health protocols.