DPR Commission VII Urges Ministry of Industry to Innovate to Strengthen Rupiah

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Chairman of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Saleh Partaonan Daulay, has requested the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) to create new innovations to help strengthen the exchange rate of the rupiah against the US dollar. According to him, the impact of the current global situation should not lead business owners to withdraw funds and purchase US dollars, which would cause a shortage of the local currency. “The consequence is an increase in the dollar exchange rate. Whether this is safe for Indonesia or not can certainly be answered by the Minister,” said Saleh during a working meeting with Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Monday. “Indonesia must move towards industrial advancement. Therefore, perhaps the Minister can explain such matters to us so that we can also strengthen our economic base from the industrial side,” he added. Furthermore, he stated that Commission VII of the DPR is also encouraging the Ministry of Industry’s budget allocation to create new industries and innovations within the industrial sector. So far, he noted that the largest proportion of the Ministry’s budget is allocated to Industrial Polytechnics. However, he assessed that this does not directly lead to the creation of new industries, but rather focuses on preparing human resources. “While this is extremely important, it must certainly be supported by other budget allocations within other directorates-general,” he concluded.