Kalla expects strong growth next year<\/p>\n
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): The newly appointed Minister of
\nTrade and Industry Jusuf Kalla, said he was upbeat that
\nIndonesian's economy would be more stable next year.<\/p>\n
He attributed his optimism to the recent significant
\nimprovement in Indonesia's social, security and political
\nsituations.<\/p>\n
\"I believe Indonesia's economy will be more stable next
\nyear ... The establishment of the new government under Gus Dur
\n(President Abdurrahman Wahid) has resulted in the recovery of the
\ncountry's social and political conditions,\" he told The Jakarta
\nPost over the weekend.<\/p>\n
He was also optimistic that foreign investors and traders, who
\nwere previously worried about conducting businesses in Indonesia
\ndue to such uncertainty, would soon reenter the country.<\/p>\n
Kalla acknowledged that it would take years to bring the
\ncountry's economy, which has been hit by crisis since late 1997,
\nback to its pre-crisis level.<\/p>\n
But he added that the recovery process could be speeded up if
\nthe new government was able to appropriate policies in dealing
\nwith the crisis.<\/p>\n
In order to accelerate the country's economic growth, his
\noffice has begun to establish business contacts with Indonesia's
\nmain trade partners such as Japan, Taiwan and the United States.<\/p>\n
The ministry had also conducted intensive discussions with
\nlocal and international business players as well as the regional
\nbanking industry and the World Bank, he said.<\/p>\n
Kalla met the World Bank's director for Asia Pacific Hubert
\nNeiss during the latter's visit to Indonesia last week.<\/p>\n
Kalla, a renowned native businessman himself, also predicted
\nthe country's trade and industry would be able to register
\nstronger growth next year following the impact of the improvement
\nof people's buying power.<\/p>\n
\"I see some factories have resumed their production activities
\nin response to an increase in demand,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Not all of the country's economic sectors were frail, he said,
\nadding that several sectors, such as agriculture, were not
\naffected by the crisis and thus continued to record good growth.<\/p>\n
When asked about the government's plan to open trade
\nrelationships with Israel, Kalla asserted that it was never meant
\nto deflate Indonesia's good relationship with Palestine.<\/p>\n
\"It will only be a trade cooperation, not a diplomatic
\nrelationship. The trade cooperation with Israel would be no
\ndifferent from that with China or Taiwan,\" he added. (27\/cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kalla-expects-strong-growth-next-year-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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