Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) held a meeting with the editors-in-chief of several mass media agencies on Thursday to discuss the realization of economic growth and the criteria for Indonesia's future leaders.

"President Jokowi said that future leaders must be brave, courageous, and consistent in facing this uncertain global situation," News Director of ANTARA News Agency Irfan Junaidi said after attending the meeting.

Drawing an analogy, the President said that the nation's journey in the future would be like running a marathon and the nation's leaders will need to have high resilience to face global challenges and uncertainties, Junaidi informed.

"Just like running in a marathon, it needs endurance to lead this country," he added.

He said that the President also outlined the factors behind Indonesia's economic growth, which, in the second quarter of 2023, reached 5.17 percent (year on year/yoy). In the component that forms economic growth, public consumption is one of the pillars, Junaidi said.

The head of state also highlighted imbalances in the economic structure, he added.

"President Jokowi conveyed there is still a problem with inequality in growth because economic growth in Java is still 57 percent, while regions outside Java are 43 percent," he informed.

The meeting also discussed the progress of the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara's development in East Kalimantan. The President expressed the hope that the celebration of Indonesia's Independence Day in 2024 would take place at the new Presidential Palace in IKN, Junaidi disclosed.

Jokowi further said that many investors were interested in investing in IKN. He also expressed his intention to try the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train before it is inaugurated and opened to the public.

Junaidi said that the meeting between the President and the editors was relaxed and interspersed with lunch. Dozens of editors-in-chief attended the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours.

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Translator: Indra Arief P, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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