PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ECONOMISTS

Jakarta, June 29 (Antara) -- President Joko Widodo received 10 economists at Merdeka Palace on Monday afternoon to discuss the latest on the national economy. "I think this will be a routine meeting. The president will receive inputs from various parties. One of the subjects he wants to discuss is the concept of economic design. I think we will not give inputs in detail. We will talk about the economy in general," an economist of Atmajaya University, A. Prasetyantoko, said. At the meeting, which also saw Vice President Jusuf Kalla in attendance, the economists conveyed their views and inputs on the latest conditions in the field. Prasetyantoko stated that Jokowi was aware of the measures that were required to prevent unfavorable economic conditions from emerging. "We hope the economy grows at a faster pace in the second semester. The government is aware of what it must do. The president will conduct direct field checks. We hope this becomes an institutional policy," he remarked. In addition, economist Tony Prasetiantono of Gadjah Mada University pointed out that the head of state was also aware of the shortcomings of his cabinet's economic team. "I believe if the market's low confidence in the cabinet is the reason behind the rupiah's weakening, it should not be as weak as it is now," Prasetiantono observed. The government must improve market sentiments by taking a number of required steps, he emphasized. "As compared to that in 1998, our economy is better now. Nearly all banks collapsed in 1998. We can have expectations based on our fundamentals, but confidence or trust in the economic team is low," he noted. The economists invited to the meeting were Arif Budimanta, Iman Sugema, Hendri Saparini, Djisman Simanjuntak, Anton Gunawan, Destry Damayanti, A. Prasetyantoko, Poltak Hotradero, Tony Prasetiantono, Lin Che Wei, and Raden Pardede.