TEMPO.CO, Antara - Sandiaga Uno, a politician with a business background and a vice presidential candidate of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has reminded the government of the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar. He said the government must focus on dealing with the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate and not on spending more time in politics.
"We should not mix economics with politics. Just focus on the economy first, that is what we hope for," Sandiaga told Antara in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Tuesday.
Today, the rupiah exchange rate against the US dollar is at the level of Rp14,896.25. Sandiaga noted that the government must be aware of the weakening of the exchange rate, especially the price of basic needs of the community.
In fact, Sandiaga also expressed concern over the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate, which will affect the company's production costs, leading to the potential for termination of employment or layoffs. For this reason, the former deputy governor of Jakarta called on the government to sit together with the businesses in addressing this phenomenon.
"This is the time for the government and the business world to sit together to address the rupiah depreciation that burdens the community. I am worried that the increase in prices and production costs of companies will lead to layoffs," he explained.
He reminded the government to start tightening belts and delay imports that were not needed. "Postpone dollar-based expenditures, delay the import of unnecessary goods, and encourage the use of local products," he added.
Sandiaga had previously refuted the invitation for economic debate from Jokowi-Maaruf Amin's national campaign team. He argued that this nation must be united and must not be engaged in economic debate, but rather participate in discussions in solving problems.
He even revealed that he had held a meeting with the former governor of Bank Indonesia, Agus Martowardojo, to discuss the resolution of economic problems in the next three to five years. "The fluctuations in the exchange rate that continue to occur cannot be separated from external policies that cannot be controlled, but we have to focus only on internal policies," he remarked.
"My hope is that the economy will be the center of our attention. We should stop 'political bickering' first and focus (on improving the economy). I do not see catalysts that can stabilize our economy in the next six to nine months. Therefore, we must unite," Sandiaga Uno pointed out.
ANTARA
