Presidential
Candidates Share Thoughts on People’s Economy in Second Debate
The two competing presidential candidates, Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, focused on people-based economy in their
second presidential debate held in Grand Melia Hotel in Jakarta, on Sunday
evening. The two candidates, however, displayed clear policy differences in the
debate broadcast live on Metro TV.
“I’m committed to boosting Indonesia’s
productivity by supporting small and micro businesses and improving the
budgeting systems both at the national and local levels,” said Jokowi, who got
the first turn to explain his economic policies in the two-hour debate
moderated by Ahmad Erani Yustika, a professor of economics from the Brawijaya
University in Malang, East Java.
Jokowi further said his experience both as
Surakarta mayor and Jakarta governor had made him aware of the importance of
giving adequate space for small and micro businesses to grow.
“We should give adequate space for traditional
markets and street vendors to develop their economic activities because they
are the basis of our micro economy. They should be managed well,” he said.
Jokowi went on to say that regional development
planning must also include a program to provide proper space for small and
medium-sized business players to carry out their economic activities and to
expedite barriers to their businesses by, among other things, improving
transparency of regional budgets through an online system.
Meanwhile, Prabowo highlighted issues related to
economic nationalism, emphasizing domestic control of the economy.
He said in his remarks that if elected, he would
do his best to decrease “leakage” in the country’s energy sector that caused
losses of up to Rp 1 quadrillion (US$84.56 billion) per year. That money could
be used to finance other sectors for the sake of people’s welfare, he added.
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