With the 2019 elections now just weeks away, the economy has become a key issue in the campaign. In comparative terms, Indonesia’s current GDP growth of over 5 per cent is healthy. However, this is below the 7 per cent President Joko Widodo pledged to deliver during the 2014 campaign. The president’s opponents also claim that the government’s huge expenditure on major infrastructure projects and social welfare programs has failed to deliver benefits for all Indonesians.
What is the current state of Indonesia’s economy and what are the key economic issues for voters? Has Jokowi’s Indonesia Maju (Indonesia Progress) program paid off?
In Talking Indonesia this week, Dr Jemma Purdey discusses these issues and more with economist Dr Lana Soelistianingsih. Lana is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Indonesia and head of research at Samuel Asset Management.
In 2019, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Charlotte Setijadi from Singapore Management University and Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University.
Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen via your favourite podcasting app.
