"The policies were taken particularly to anticipate a decline in our exports as a result of economic crisis engulfing Europe and the United States," he said after opening an investment climate symposium here on Monday.
The anticipatory steps included expanding the market for Indonesia`s exports, preventing massive layoffs and improving the people`s purchasing power, he said.
He said the government was ready to face the impact of the global economic crisis and convinced that the country would be able to withstand the crisis as it did in 2008.
"This is because the amount of our foreign exchange reserves now is higher than in 2008," he said.
Even the minister predicted the domestic economy to grow within the range of 6.6-6.7 percent next year.
After all, the government still had to keep watch for developments in global oil price which could affect state spending on fuel oil subsidies, he said.
"There is not yet plan to raise fuel oil price. It is the basic electricity tariff that will be raised," he said.
Hatta said the basic electricity tariff was likely to be raised by around 10 percent in April next year.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
