Democrats Respond to 35 Per Cent Economic Growth Data<\/p>\n
Member of the House of Representatives\u2019 Finance Commission XI from\nthe Democratic Party Faction, Marwan Cik Asan, responded to President\nPrabowo Subianto\u2019s address concerning the national economy, which\npraised Indonesia\u2019s economic growth in recent years. According to\nMarwan, over the past seven years, Indonesia\u2019s economy has grown at an\naverage of around 5 per cent per year. Cumulatively, Indonesia\u2019s Gross\nDomestic Product (GDP) rose by about 35 per cent. In fact, in 2025,\neconomic growth reached 5.11 per cent, one of the best performances in\nthe last three years.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Marwan admitted he was concerned whether this growth is\nfelt by ordinary people. He said that many fishermen, farmers, and other\ninformal workers have seen little change.<\/p>\n
\u2018Our economic growth figures are indeed good and deserve praise. But\nthe critical question is whether the growth is truly felt by the common\npeople. In fact, many farmers, fishermen, informal workers, and\nlow-income communities have not experienced significant changes,\u2019 Marwan\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Marwan explained that although poverty fell to 8.47 per cent or about\n23.85 million people as of March 2025, and represents the lowest level\nin history, the rate of decline remains very slow.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Gini ratio, a reflection of inequality, remained at\n0.375, indicating an uneven distribution of welfare or a wide gap.<\/p>\n
According to Marwan, economic growth has been concentrated more in\nbig cities and large-scale investment. Meanwhile, ordinary people still\nface everyday problems.<\/p>\n
\u2018The ordinary people still face fundamental issues such as food\nprices, access to decent housing, health, and decent jobs,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Marwan argued that Indonesia now needs a new growth model that is\nmore inclusive and based on structural transformation. He said the\ngrowth model should not only chase statistical figures but create\nproductive jobs, strengthen the people\u2019s economy, and sustainably\nimprove human capital.<\/p>\n
He said the first transformation must be to promote growth oriented\ntoward creating formal jobs or job-intensive growth.<\/p>\n
\u2018Investments\u2019 success should not only be measured by the size of the\ninvestment but also by how much impact it has on jobs and household\nincomes,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n
Another growth model, according to Marwan, is to broaden downstream\nactivities to touch the people\u2019s sector. He also urged accelerating the\ndevelopment of human resources through education, skills training,\nmastery of technology, and digital literacy.<\/p>\n
\u2018Countries that have managed to escape the middle-income trap share\none commonality: they do not just build physical infrastructure; they\nalso build human quality,\u2019 Marwan said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, in his address in the DPR Plenary Session, Prabowo did not\ndispute that poverty numbers had not continued to fall despite seven\nyears of growth.<\/p>\n
\u2018Our growth over the last seven years has indeed been good, at 5 per\ncent per year, for seven years, 5 percent times 7 equals 35 per cent\ngrowth. We should be wealthier by 35 per cent, but what happened?\u2019 he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\u20187 years times 5 per cent equals 35 per cent; our economy grew by 35\nper cent, but our people in poverty increased from 46.1 per cent to 49\nper cent. A rise of 3 per cent,\u2019 he continued.<\/p>\n
He admitted he was puzzled and asked the attendees.<\/p>\n
\u2018How can growth of 35 per cent occur, yet the middle class declines\nand poverty increases?\u2019 he asked.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/democrats-respond-to-35-per-cent-economic-growth-data-1779542385", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }