"The opportunities are still wide open for entrepreneurs and those who want to begin an enterprise in Indonesia because the country is endowed with plenty of natural resources," the president said in his address at launch of the National Entrepreneurship Movement (GKN) here on Wednesday.
The President said Indonesia also had huge human resources with a good demographic anatomy and highly productive population.
He said it was the highly productive population that would be the backbone of the country`s economy.
"Our economy also continues to grow and it is moving toward high growth. Our gross domestic product now equals US$700 billion," he said.
The chance is then open wider due to the prevalence of high demand for goods and services for a population of 237 million with a high purchasing power.
"Indonesia`s economy in the agricultural, industrial and service aspects is quite possible to be further developed. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs," the president said.
After all, he said, the people`s command of technology and science is improving.
"A society or a nation which masters high science and technology has an asset it would transform into a new work," he said.
The government, businesses and other stake-holders all take part in supporting and providing assistance for new businesses, including assistance in the form of small-holder`s credit scheme (KUR).
The president added that the number of unemployed based data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in Indonesia reached 8.32 million or 7.14 percent of the total population of 237.8 million.
"This is not a lie. This data really exists. It was calculated by the BPS," the president said.
He said that members of the workforce in Indonesia reached 116.5 million, jobs were for 108.2 million so that unemployed people accounted for 8.32 percent.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
