"I have asked for reform in the IMF to be continued, the governor of Bank Indonesia also accompanied me just now, so that it could respond to the needs of the international community now," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the opening of a cabinet meeting here on Wednesday.
He said he made the request when receiving IMF executive director Dominique Strauss-Kahn at his office earlier in the day.
He said the IMF delegation came to Indonesia to ask for suggestions and opinions from Indonesia especially with regard to monetary issues.
The delegation had also offered cooperation at a global level but President Yudhoyono did not explain in detail about it.
President Yudhoyono thinks international financial institutions like IMF and others were still needed. Even he had suggested the setting up of a financial safety net for certain countries facing difficulties due to crisis.
President Yudhoyono said Indonesia needs to be proud of itself because it had repaid all its debts to the IMF.
Because of that Indonesia can now raise its bargaining power to become a party IMF refers to for an advice.
"Thank God we are now unlike we were dozen years ago. We are now at a more respectful position so that we can give views, corrections and recommendations to any party including the IMF," he said.
Strauss-Kahn meanwhile said basically Indonesia`s economy is improving.
However he said that a country`s growth will not only depend upon domestic economic conditions. He hoped the Indonesian government would also pay attention to global economic developments.
"Economic growth also depends upon what is happening in other parts of the world," he said.
On the occasion coordinating minister for economic affairs Hatta Rajasa said Indonesia had had no intention yet to borrow from the IMF.
"Indonesia is still an IMF member but Indonesia has no wish to borrow (from IMF)," he said.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
