Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Lestari Moerdijat, has called for the utilization of the digital economy to support the growth of the national economy.

"Whatever the opportunity is, (we) have to make the most of it," she said in a written statement here on Thursday.

The potential of the digital economy must support the performance of the national economy so that it can keep growing amid the predicted global economic slowdown, she said.

According to the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs’ data, in 2022, Indonesia accounted for around 40 percent of the value of ASEAN's digital economy transactions.

In 2023, with more than 2,400 startups, Indonesia is ranked 6th on the list of countries with the highest number of startups. Currently, Indonesia has 8 unicorn companies, the majority of which are operating in the field of e-commerce and fintech.

The potential must be tapped by preparing several steps to support convenience and security in the country's digital economy ecosystem, Moerdijat underlined.

Moreover, she pointed out, the World Bank has predicted that the global economy will slow down this year. It has been projected that global economic growth will decline from 3 percent last year to reach around 2 percent this year.

Moerdijat said that massive dissemination of information to boost people's understanding of the digital economy and its ecosystem must be carried out without delay to face the various challenges that have accompanied the rapid development of global digitalization.

Policy makers must immediately prepare the governance of a national digital economy ecosystem that is safe and easily understood by the wider community, she stressed.

She said that with network infrastructure and policies that support the strengthening of the national digital ecosystem, the growth of a digital economy that is capable of supporting national economic growth could be accelerated.

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Translator: Fauzi, Raka Adji
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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