The statement came in response to skepticism from some economists over the reported 5.12 percent economic growth in the second quarter of 2025.
"If it increases, we say it increases. Don’t only believe it when it decreases and then question it when it goes up. This is not like predicting horoscopes," said PCO head Hasan Nasbi during a press conference.
Nasbi noted that national economic growth stood at 5.02 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, when President Prabowo Subianto began his term.
In the first quarter of 2025, it declined to 4.87 percent, a figure that was publicly released by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), which operates under the same government.
"The 5.12 percent increase in the second quarter was released by the same BPS. When it goes down, we report it. When it goes up, we report it too. But some people only believe it when it declines," Nasbi said.
He added that it was unfortunate that some critics focus narrowly on household consumption and government spending, without considering the significant role of investment.
Nasbi reported that Indonesia's investment realization reached Rp942.9 trillion (US$57.8 billion) as of August 2025 — nearly 50 percent of this year's target of Rp1,900 trillion.
He added that more than 1.2 million jobs had been created during the period.
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Translator: Andi, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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