"Two months ago, marked exactly three years of my leadership, and the current condition of the Indonesian economy is significantly better than that after the first year of my administration in 2015," Jokowi stated.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) opined that Indonesia`s economy has currently recorded a growth of over five percent per quarter in 2017, better than that recorded three years back when he started his term in office.

"Two months ago, marked exactly three years of my leadership, and the current condition of the Indonesian economy is significantly better than that after the first year of my administration in 2015," he stated during his keynote speech at The Year Ahead Asia-Bloomberg in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Wednesday.

He noted that the government`s efforts to implement structural reforms to boost economic performance have begun showing results.

He remarked that the improved condition of Indonesia`s economy has allowed for greater fiscal space to initiate and finalize plans for all large infrastructure projects across the country.

"These positive developments are due to only one thing, which is reform," he pointed out.

The president expects that the Indonesian economy will grow 5.4 percent in 2018.

The figure is still below the target of seven percent set by Jokowi at the start of his administrative term.

Hence, the Indonesian government has continued to work hard on reforms, including cutting fuel subsidies, to create greater fiscal space in order to finance the construction of roads, railways, and ports.

Jokowi remarked that his government has worked on the right track to finalize most of the infrastructure projects under construction during the five-year term of the government.

On the occasion, he highlighted two lessons learnt during his three-year administration: a better condition after reform efforts and an optimistic outlook that he believed would prevail.

He pointed out that the World Bank has given a better rating for the index of Ease of Doing Business in Indonesia, which rose from the 106th ranking in 2016 to reach the 72nd position in 2017.

A global survey also placed Indonesia in the first position for the public trust index in the government.

In terms of the tourism sector, Jokowi said foreign tourist arrivals have continued to increase, with investment in the tourism sector rising by 35 percent.

"We will not benefit from the boom in the tourism sector if we do not develop the necessary infrastructure," he remarked.

Hence, he claimed to continue working hard to complete various infrastructure projects, including the operation of Silangit Airport, which provides direct flight connectivity to Lake Toba by Garuda Indonesia airlines.

"Other tourism destinations, including Belitung, Labuan Bajo, and Komodo, will have international flight connectivity as soon as possible," he added.

Reported by Hanni Sofia Soepardi
EDITED BY INE/a014

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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