RI'S ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2009 PREDICTED TO DROP: PRESIDENT

Malang, E Java, Jan 27 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia's economic growth this year was predicted to drop drastically from an average of 9 percent over the past two years.

"Even though economic growth this year will decline, we hope the drop will not be too far from the figure of the latest two years so that we will still be able to maintain the growth momentum,," the President said at the Brawijaya University (Unibraw) here on Tuesday.
The head of state admitted that there was indeed world assistance for the development of the national economy but it would be better if the Indonesian people tried to overcome the impact of the crisis by themselves.
Therefore, he said, Indonesia should be able to increase exports, strengthen its domestic market and increase domestic funding without hoping too much in terms of foreign investment.
He said the government's main priority at present was how to manage inflation, maintain the people's purchasing power and prevent layoffs, or seek the best solution if the worst scenarios were unavoidable.
The president also said the greatest attention must also be paid to the people's need for basic food.
"The challenges we are facing are very grave but this should not shake our conviction that we can overcome them all," the president said.