President Explains About Indonesia's Economic Policy

Singapore, April 23 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia currently has two big projects namely infrastructure development and investment. He made the statement when explaining about the country`s economic policy before company CEOs, bankers, international investors and analysts at a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker Forum here on Tuesday. "Indonesia`s economy in terms of GDP is now the biggest in Southeast Asia. If Indonesia could maintain its growth, expand its market it would be an incentive for trade and investment," he said. He said Europe and the US have not yet fully recovered and so Southeast Asia would be the right place for investment. President Yudhoyono said he had taken not a free-market or anti-market policy but a third avenue for the country`s economic development to make the people more prosperous. He said Indonesia is a unique country where market and anti-market ideologies are growing together. In view of that he said a different method of handling them was needed. He said a market is needed for economic development but the government`s role is also needed in the effort. In view of that he said he had created a four-point economy policy namely a pro-growth, pro-employment, pro-poverty alleviation and pro-environment policy. He said the policy had so far been fruitful with the country`s economy continuing to grow above six percent in the midst of a global crisis and poverty reduction also continuing. On the occasion President Yudhoyono received a number of questions regarding oil subsidy, China`s influence on ASEAN economy and his replacement.