"Controlling inflation must become our shared task, just like what we did with COVID-19 control," the Ministry's Director General of Regional Financial Development Agus Fatoni stated at the Bali and Nusa Tenggara National Movement for Food Inflation Control (GNPIP) followed virtually from Jakarta on Wednesday.
He noted that if all relevant stakeholders, including the central government, regional governments, and the public, work together to control inflation, then the efforts will have a positive and significant impact, as is currently being experienced, with inflation being under control.
Hence, in future, synergy, collaboration, coordination, and cooperation among stakeholders should be strengthened continuously, Fatoni emphasized.
"We know inflation has an impact in all countries. In several countries, inflation is quite high, and we are grateful that due to our cooperation, synergy, collaboration, and coordination, both at the central government as well as at regional governments and society, inflation in Indonesia is quite under control," he remarked.
According to Fatoni, all parties should focus on handling inflation. The Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID) should also focus and continue to work hard to control inflation to facilitate continued economic growth and maintain the people's welfare.
Apart from sharing a task to control inflation, Fatoni drew attention to other solutions that can be carried out together in controlling inflation, such as the government communicating with people to spotlight ways to handle inflation.
"The dissemination of information in the community also needs to be done to give them a better understanding regarding inflation that could affect the society," he remarked.
Moreover, the government needs to activate the TPID to continue to conduct coordination and synergy, activate the Food Task Force in the regions to report prices and availability of commodities to regional heads, and provide targeted subsidies to the poor, he noted.
According to Fatoni, solutions to control inflation also encompass carrying out energy-saving movements in offices and households as well as other places, conducting fast-harvest food planting movements, forging inter-regional cooperation, working towards intensifying social safety nets, as well as making announcement regarding inflation figures in districts and cities by Bank Indonesia and Indonesia Statistics (BPS).
He stated that social safety nets can come from Unforeseen Expenditure Budgets, Social Assistance Budgets, Village Budgets, Reallocation of General Allocation Funds, and Central Social Assistance.
"It is also necessary for us together with BPS, Bank Indonesia, and the provincial government with the regional leadership coordination forum (forkopimda) and all levels to continue to strengthen coordination, communication, and synergy together to overcome inflation," Fatoni concluded.
Related news: Jokowi checks prices of staple goods at Natar Market, Lampung
Related news: Minister inspects staple goods' prices at Makassar's Terong Market
Related news: Govt's anticipatory measures help drop Eid al-Fitr inflation: BPS
Translator: Martha Herlinawati S, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
