VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo conveyed a number of instructions in a bid to maintain the Indonesian economy on the impacts of the COVID-19 or Coronavirus outbreak. In a Limited Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Office, on Tuesday afternoon (Feb 25) in Jakarta, President Joko Widodo called on his staff to prepare all instruments in a bid to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the Indonesian economy. In addition, he also called on his staff to maximize tourism promotion in the country by holding international meetings and events.

"I call for the optimization of to maximize the MICE tourism, namely meetings, incentives, conferences and events in the regions across Indonesia, in a bid to boost tourism promotion to foreign tourists who are looking for alternative tourist destinations, because they could not visit China, Korea and Japan. And I hope that these measures which are aimed at boosting the Indonesian economic resilience can be carried out simultaneously and support each other," President Jokowi said.

Meanwhile, in a bid to increase domestic consumption, President Joko Widodo reminded all Ministries and Institutions to immediately expedite the country's spending. Jokowi also called on other ministries to immediately implement all social protection programs.

"I also call for the immediate implementation of social security programs such as PKH (Family Hope Program) and other social assistance programs. The programs also include cash-for-work and labor-intensive programs that have direct impacts on the society. I hope that related ministries such as the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the Ministry of State-owned Entrprises, and the Ministry of Transportation. In addition, I also ask for the support of the Ministry of Agriculture in building irrigation and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. I hope the programs can be realized immediately," President Jokowi said.

President Joko Widodo asked his staffs to take measures to overcome the current account deficit and trade balance. According to him, the step must be carried out effectively and supervised in a bid to curb import// (VOI/Andy/AHM)