Prabowo aims to help Indonesia escape the middle-income trap and become a developed country by improving various economic sectors.
"Let us work together to make Indonesia a developed country. In the next 10 years, we must escape the middle-income trap," the minister remarked at an event on Monday.
He noted that Jakarta's per capita income of US$20 thousand demonstrates the potential for several major Indonesian cities to achieve a higher level of progress.
Hartarto aims to replicate this success in several other big cities, such as Balikpapan and Palembang, and extend it to other regions.
Rapid growth in these major cities is expected to boost all economic sectors in Indonesia, ultimately aiding Indonesia's escape from the middle-income trap, as envisioned by the president.
Given the nearly four million retail stores, Hartarto believes development in this sector can contribute to Indonesia's transition into a higher-middle-income country.
He also emphasized that Indonesia's economic growth target of eight percent, as promised by President Prabowo, can be achieved between 2028 and 2029 through mutual cooperation.
He expressed hope that economists would collaborate with the retail sector, including the Sampoerna Retail Community (SRC), with its 250 thousand business units, to support this economic goal.
Hartarto suggested that economists engage directly with retailers to understand field conditions better, especially as academics often hold overly pessimistic views about Indonesia's economic outlook.
"And these economists must talk to retailers regarding their optimism compared to pessimistic scholars on our economy," he stated.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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