TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that extra effort is needed when allocating budgets in managing the country`s economy, especially considering external factors that affect the domestic economy.

“In the context of the current economy, the world’s economic environment poses a difficult challenge,” said Sri Mulyani today, Nov. 13, as a speaker in the Habibie Award at the Le Meridien Hotel, Jakarta.

She argued that the economic challenge is mostly caused by United States’ change of policy in normalizing its policies and increasing its interest rates, which was previously considered to be at a low level.

“Indonesia will constantly monitor and be aware of the dynamic global environment,” said Sri Mulyani.

Furthermore, she deemed Indonesia’s third-quarter economy to be acceptable. She explained that the economic growth has constantly been above 5 percent with an inflation rate that is maintained at around 3.5 percent.

Minister Sri Mulyani also mentioned the unemployment rate that dropped to 5.13 percent and hoped that the momentum of Indonesia’s growing economy could further drop the economic inequality that is currently at 9.82 percent. This is the first for Indonesia to have its poverty rate below 10 percent.

MUHAMMAD HENDARTYO