Indonesia Economy to Continue to Grow: VP Boediono

Jakarta - Indonesia's economy will continue to grow despite increasing political activities ahead of the general elections in 2014, Vice President Boediono said here on Thursday. "I believe 2014 will bring a new drive that will strengthen reform. I am optimistic of the prospects," he said in his key address at the "Economist Conference Indonesia Summit 2013." He said the facts had shown that Indonesia remained to be one of the conducive countries with a good economic climate providing a reason for the optimism. The proof was the country's success in passing the global crisis in 2008 relatively unscathed, he said. "Indeed several sectors had grown negatively but they had immediately recovered and since then we had been able to maintain our growth at above six percent and reduce unemployment and poverty rate," he said. During the period, he said, financial and economic stability had been maintained. According to him Indonesia's economy stood on two pillars of stability namely political and economic stability. Indonesia also has vast and various natural resources with domestic consumption reaching 60 percent, he explained. Meanwhile on the demand side Indonesia is also very strong with consumption and investment growth to continue to improve in the next to three years, he said. Boediono said another factor that had made him optimistic about the country's future economy was the country's political stability in the midst of current political crisis in other countries. "Although initially there were a lot hurdles to meet reform has gone well. Democracy has been working at central as well as local levels," he said.(*)