He made the request at the opening of a plenary cabinet meeting at his office here on Wednesday, saying conditions were now just right as confidence levels in Indonesia were up, investors were lining up and the countrys rupiah is growing more stable.
"It depends on us whether or not we benefit from this opportunity to meet our goals," he said.
He said the 2016 national budget must be safeguarded so that it is used effectively, especially the capital expenditures.
The government, he remarked, remains committed to increasing the budget for education by 25.5 percent, infrastructure by 76.2 percent and health by 75.4 percent.
"All of these must be realized very quickly, starting early next year," he said.
President Joko Widodo praised a number of ministries that have already carried out the tendering process. Among these are the Ministry of Public Works and Housing which has realized up to 42 percent of its budget, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources that has realized up to 34 percent and the Ministry of Transportation up to 31 percent.
"Once again, I urge the ministers, especially those who have received huge budget allocations, to expedite their budget spending early in 2016 to maintain the momentum of high economic growth," he said.
He said the government expected the growth in 2016 to reach 5.3 percent.
President Joko Widodo also urged the heads of regional governments to immediately realize the budget spending so that 37 percent of the funds from the national budget could be immediately used.
"A good economy in early 2016 will send a positive signal to the private sector and we hope that it would spur growth in the private sector," he said. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
