TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Chairman Ma’ruf Amin disputed the statement of Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto who said Indonesian elite implementing the economic neoliberalism.
According to Ma’ruf, Jokowi applied the economic policy in accordance with MUI recommendation. “We raised the new flows issue of the Indonesian economy, including economic new development which President Jokowi then responded to. So, Pak Jokowi build the economy from the lower classes, not the upper,” said Ma’ruf in the State Palace complex, Central Jakarta, Monday, April 2.
Neoliberal economy by using trickle-down effect or a theory that trickle down the wealth of upper classes to the lower within the society was the scheme implemented by the previous government, Ma’ruf argued. The scheme failed because the gap of economic inequality had widened. Thus, Ma’ruf assessed, the impact was starting to take effect these days.
He explained, Jokowi administration against neoliberal economy scheme since the president built the economy from the lower classes. “I thought [the current economic policy] is on the track,” Ma’ruf stated.
Earlier, Prabowo expressed his dissatisfaction to the current political elites, particularly in Jakarta since they used to deceit the society by implementing neoliberalism theory in Indonesia.
Prabowo claimed he once interested in the trickle-down effect offered by Albert Otto Hirschman in the New Order Era when he joined Golkar Party. At the time, the government implemented such theory. “It turns out the theory is a lie. The wealth is not coming down to the lower classes. Instead, it was brought into other countries by the elites,” he stated.
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