DPRD says creative economy to be a new engine for Jakarta's growth

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Wibi Andrino says the creative economy needs to become one of the new drivers to boost the capital’s economy and not rely solely on conventional development patterns. ‘We have a creative economy; this is what must be grown in Jakarta,’ Wibi told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday. He said that as a services city and the centre of national economic activity, Jakarta has ample room to develop the creative sector. Wibi stated that developing the creative economy opens up new business opportunities for the community because the sector can stimulate economic circulation amid fiscal challenges and global economic conditions. ‘We understand that in Jakarta we are not hoping for large job creation or the construction of large industries,’ he said. The emergence of new businesses, he continued, affects job absorption and community economic activity. Therefore, young entrepreneurs need space to grow. Wibi believes the creative sector can meet Jakarta’s need to broaden the sources of economic growth, especially as the city’s economy is increasingly centred on services, innovation, and creativity. ‘With new businesses, there will certainly be job absorption and so on,’ he said. Previously, the Jakarta Representative Office of Bank Indonesia (KPw BI) stated that the creative industry, particularly film, can be a new engine of growth for the capital because the sector has a multiplier effect. ‘This industry (film) suits Jakarta because 50 percent are young people,’ said Iwan Setiawan, head of KPw BI DKI Jakarta in Jakarta on Wednesday (6/5). Iwan said that the creative industry, especially film, has a ‘multiplier effect’ and reaches almost all sectors, making it a new growth driver for Jakarta. Moreover, the film industry is not considered to exploit natural resources because it is part of the creative and innovative sector.