Indonesia's US$1.5 billion stimulus package faces uphill battle to revive economy
Southeast Asia's biggest economy posted only a 4.87 per cent year-on-year growth in the first quarter this year. The momentum of Islam's holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, which fell within the period,
could not lift public spending , an anomaly that has sparked concerns among officials.
In response, President
Prabowo Subianto 's administration earlier this month rolled out a 24.4 trillion rupiah (US$1.5 billion) stimulus package aimed at lifting consumer spending during the school holidays in June and July.
'The president decided to launch the stimulus package to maintain the momentum of economic growth while strengthening domestic resilience to global pressures,' finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on June 2. 'We hope that in the second quarter, economic growth can be close to 5 per cent.'
A produce seller serves a customer at a traditional market in Depok, Indonesia. The new stimulus includes rice and staple food aid for 18.3 million poor families. Photo: EPA-EFE
The government would finance 23.59 trillion rupiah of the two-month package, with the remainder contributed by the private sector, she added.
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