"The growing middle class population will be able to achieve maximum development gains and encourage Indonesia to achieve the status of a high-income country," Alatas stated at a meeting on Indonesia Economic Outlook 2019 at the University of Indonesia on Monday.
Alatas noted that people from the middle class group are the engines of economic growth, as they hold 47 percent of the total household consumption in Indonesia outside the high class consumption.
The middle class also invests in the education sector. Hence, the growing middle income population will have a cross generation effect, she pointed out.
The middle class group also creates job opportunities. Nearly 42 percent of business undertakings employing wage workers come from the middle class, she remarked.
The government played an important role in encouraging the middle-class growth, particularly in providing new social contracts and commitments, she stated.
In addition, the government played a major role, particularly through the three strategies of providing equal opportunities, improving economic mobility, and providing social protection, she stated.
"If we want to go to the higher level, we should give equal opportunities. This is related to the two main issues of disparate access to education and stunting," she added.
Reporting by Calvin Basuki
Editing by Suharto, Sri Haryati
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
