I want district heads, mayors, and governors to cooperate with TPIP and TPIDs.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) instructed all regional governments to cooperate with the central inflation control team (TPIP) and regional inflation control teams (TPIDs) to curb the inflation rate.

"I want district heads, mayors, and governors to cooperate with TPIP and TPIDs," he remarked while addressing the opening of the 2022 inflation control coordination meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday.

The president urged the regional governments to identify commodities whose prices had spiked in their respective regions.

In addition, the inflation control teams should check food supplies in the regions in order to connect and meet each other's needs, he stated.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo had earlier noted that Indonesia's inflation rate had reached 4.94 percent year-on-year in July 2022, fueled by volatile food prices that rose 11.47 percent.

The head of state believes sound synergy and cooperation between the regional governments and TPIP and TPIDs would aid in keeping the inflation rate at below three percent.

"I believe if the cooperation that I have mentioned earlier (runs well) and governors, district heads and mayors, TPIP, and TPIDs all work (together), (then we will be able to) return it to below three percent. As a matter of fact, the goods are available," he affirmed.

To this end, Jokowi instructed Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian to issue a regulation allowing regional governments to utilize the unforeseen budget fund in their regional budget (APBD) to offset food transportation costs that posed a problem.

The president also urged Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi to respond to a complaint regarding high inter-regional air cargo fares that also contributed to inflation.

Moreover, he instructed State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir to increase the number of aircraft to help normalize the prices of air tickets.

He further called on all regional heads to get a grasp on the inflation situation in their respective regions.

The president noted that five provinces that recorded high year-on-year inflation in July 2022 were Jambi, with 8.55 percent; West Sumatra, 8.01 percent; Bangka Belitung, 7.77 percent; Riau, 7.04 percent; and Aceh, 6.97 percent.

According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, the inflation rate in the five provinces exceeded the average national inflation rate of 4.94 percent year-on-year in July 2022.

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Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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