VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani asked countries, which are members of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) to increase cooperation to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"We see that ASEAN has had a significant impact on COVID-19 and economic recovery in ASEAN highly depends on cooperation in ASEAN," she said during a meeting with Commission XI of the Indonesian Parliament in Jakarta, Monday.

Sri Mulyani said that the expansion of cooperation to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can be done through increasing investment, trade, and human mobility. 

"This has been the key to the dynamism of the ASEAN economy so far," she said. 

She emphasized that increased cooperation must be done because the COVID-19 pandemic has put ASEAN countries under tremendous pressure as seen from the contraction in the economy. 

She mentioned that Malaysia has contracted 17.1 percent, the Philippines minus 16.5 percent, Singapore minus 13.2 percent, Thailand minus 12.2 percent, and Indonesia is still much better at minus 5.32 percent. 

"They also have a deep APBN deficit or equal to or greater than Indonesia. Minus 6.5 percent for Malaysia; 7.6 percent for the Philippines; 13.6 percent for Singapore; and minus 6 percent for Thailand," she said. 

The world also predicts economic growth in ASEAN countries this year, such as Indonesia minus 2 percent to minus 1.6 percent, Malaysia minus 6.1 percent to minus 4.9 percent, and the Philippines minus 9.9 percent to minus 6.9 percent. Then Thailand minus 10.4 percent to 8.3 percent, Vietnam 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent, Cambodia minus 2.9 percent to minus 2 percent, Laos minus 2.4 percent to minus 0.6 percent, and Myanmar minus 0,9 percent to 0.5 percent. 

"Only Vietnam is relatively good. Even Cambodia, which is usually relatively developed and new, usually can still be high, but they also experience a deep contraction," she said. 

Sri Mulyani is optimistic that ASEAN is an economic and market region. will give a big advantage between one den bro, so they can mutually reinforce and improve data resilience because of the pandemic crisis. 

"I can see it from 1997 to 1998 when the ASEAN financial crisis and global financial crisis occurred, namely ASEAN was one of the easiest regions to recover from," she said. (Antaranews)