"We are called on to be pragmatic. I like pragmatism," he said when opening trading at the Jakarta Stock Exchange here on Monday.
He said economic pragmatism is one of the characteristics of an adaptive nation. A country has to be adaptive towards global economic development to increase the welfare of its people, he said.
He said Indonesia must become more open and smarter in responding to the world`s economic development. Pragmatism must be understood as efforts to increase the welfare of the people. This principle, he said, must be put in policies which are right and ethical.
"It is pragmatism with principles. It is pragmatism for the benefit of all," he said.
President Yudhoyono called on the people not to be trapped into debating and rhetoric about economic ideologies. He said debating the strength and weakness of an economic ideology would only disrupt economic development.
"(We must not let) ideological rhetoric disrupts economic development," he said.
President Yudhoyono said he hoped Indonesia would become a new emerging economy in the world in 2025. "Indonesia`s vision for 2025 is we wish to become an emerging nation," he said.
In view of that he called on all citizens to work together so that the vision could be
realized within 15 years`s time.
"Within 15 years we hope we could achieve a level of welfare and prosperity, which is higher than the present level," he said.
For that he hoped all community elements would jointly realize targets for 2011 namely among others achieving a 6.4 percent economic growth, reducing unemployment by up to seven percent and the number of the poor up to 11.5 percent.
Yudhoyono said Indonesia is a big country and therefore development efforts must be done continuously and totally.(*)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
