VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Several world leaders including British Prime Minister Theresa May and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have congratulated President Joko Widodo on successful and peaceful presidential and legislative elections held last month.

The President on Sunday (5/5) at the Bogor Presidential Palace received a congratulatory message from PM Scott Morrison via a phone call at around 14:00 Western Indonesian Time. The two leaders also agreed to continue to enhance bilateral cooperation and good relations between the two neighboring countries.

On Saturday (4/5), President Jokowi also received a congratulatory message from PM Theresa via a phone call at around 19:00 Western Indonesian Time at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java. President Jokowi expressed his gratitude for the support of the British Government in the holding of elections for Indonesian citizens in London. The two leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation to mark the 70^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the United Kingdom.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as Turkish President Erdogan have also congratulated the President on the successful and peaceful elections. (BPMI/EN)

The positive growth of the processing industry during the first quarter of 2019 has propped up the country's economic growth during the period to reach 5.07 percent, the head of the Central Bureau of Statistic (BPS) Suhariyanto said.   

"The processing industry has grown positively with the support of the food and beverage, textile and garments, tobacco processing, paper and paper products industries," Suhariyanto said in Jakarta on Monday.

However, the growth of the industry at 3.86 percent was less than the growth during the same period last year, which was recorded at 4.6 percent.

The growth of the food and beverage, textile and garment, as well as paper and paper products industries was supported by the increased production of crude palm oil (CPO), and high demand ahead of Ramadhan and Eid al-Fitr, and the general election.

"The growth of the tobacco processing industry was supported by the increased local and international demand," Suhariyanto remarked.

The processing industry has made the largest contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2019 at 20.07 percent, followed by the trade sector at 13.20 percent, and agriculture at 12.65 percent.

The trade sector grew 5.26 percent, higher than the previous year's growth at 4.99 percent, with the contribution of automotive and spare parts sales, logistics for campaign, and the sale of domestic goods.

The agriculture sector grew at 1.81 percent, lower than the growth in the first quarter of 2018 at 3.34 percent, with the contribution of the increased production of commodities such as palm oil, tea and coffee.

In the business sector, corporate services showed the highest growth at 10.36 percent, followed by other services at 9.99 percent, and information and communication at 9.03 percent. (ant)

Bank Indonesia (BI) has stated that the country's economic performance in the first quarter of 2019 remained positive, although the global economic growth fell short of expectations.  

"The slow growth was inseparable from the impact of the seasonal pattern early this year, as well as the lower-than-expected global economic growth," Executive Director of BI Communication Department Onny Widjanarko said in a written statement released on Monday.

BI believed the country's economic growth in the first quarter of 2019, which stood at 5.07 percent year-on-year (yoy), was good, he said.

The economic performance indicated that the momentum of national economic growth could consistently be maintained although it slowed down compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 when it was recorded at 5.18 percent (year on year, yoy ). The economic growth of 5.18 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 was chiefly fueled by domestic demand. The domestic demand remained high due to consumption by non-profit institutions serving households (LNPRT) and household consumption.

The LNPRT consumption in the first quarter of 2019 rose to 16.93 percent (yoy) from 10.79 percent (yoy) in the previous quarter, fueled by consumption related to the 2019 general elections.

Household consumption growth in the first quarter of 2019, which reached 5.01 percent (yoy), also remained steady although it slowed down compared to the previous quarter when it was 5.08 percent (yoy). The good performance of household consumption was supported by controllable inflation, the public's improving income and consumer confidence. The domestic demand was also fueled by high investment growth in the development sector.

The net export performance was positive due to a shortfall in the country's imports amidst the declining exports, in line with the global economic slowdown and low global commodity prices.

Looking ahead, BI will continue to maintain macroeconomic stability and contribute to economic growth. The combined policies of the central bank, the government, and the relevant authorities will be strengthened to maintain the momentum of economic growth, he said. BI has predicted the national economy will grow 5.0-5.4 percent this year. (ant)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi  arrived ( 6 May ) in New York to lead Indonesian Representative in UN as the president of UN Security Council. Indonesian propose to discuss ways to strengthen training and capacity building for UN Peacekeepers as weel as discussion on the Israel illegal settlements issue. Minister Retno Marsudi has also met Ambassador / Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN to find peace solutions in the Middle East. (twitter kemenlu )