"Obama`s continued presence in the White House and the world arena will also support G20, APEC and other international forums in their efforts to create a just world for all," Sparingga noted.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Presidential special staff Daniel Sparingga has stated that U.S. President Barack Obama`s re-election will strengthen relations between Indonesia and the United States.

Sparingga, the presidential staff for political communication, made the statement here on Wednesday, when asked about the impact of Obama`s victory on Indonesia.

"Obama`s continued presence in the White House and the world arena will also support G20, APEC and other international forums in their efforts to create a just world for all," he noted.

"Indonesia respects the U.S. electoral process and welcomes the decision of the American people," Sparingga stated.

On Tuesday, Obama defeated his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

As of 1.20 am on Wednesday, Obama won 303 Electoral College votes, while Romney got 203, AFP was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, an international relations observer from the University of Indonesia (UI), Makmur Keliat, stated that the re-election of Obama might have a significant impact on Indonesian exports.

"The United States of America is facing a budget deficit of almost 9 percent. Therefore, there might be a decrease in the rate of Indonesian exports," he said here on Wednesday.

According to Keliat, Obama`s policies are generally in favour of the lower-middle class people.

"To compensate for the American budget deficit, the US president might adopt two policies: increased taxes for the higher-middle class people and lower state expenditure," he said.

Obama is also expected to impose higher taxes on the rich, including investors, in order to spur the state`s economic growth.

"Moreover, the president might reduce state expenditure by reducing imports from other countries, especially China," Keliat pointed out.

"This will lead to a decline in China`s exports. At the same time, Indonesia`s import of Chinese products will also decrease," he said.

"So, China might also reduce its imports from our businessmen. That would make things difficult for Indonesia because China is one of our major export destinations," Keliat explained.

He said Obama`s policies on politics and defence were unlikely to change and the US president is to help Indonesia modernize its national security infrastructure.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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