JAKARTA - Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) senior economist Enny Sri Hartarti has praised President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to reappoint Sri Mulyani Indrawati as Finance Minister in his second term as appropriate.
“Instead of the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, it’s better to have Sri Mulyani in the Ministry of Finance. This will reassure the public and business players that the Ministry of Finance is led by a competent professional with no affiliation to any political party,” said Ms Hartarti at a discussion titled “Observing Jokowi’s Second Cabinet” in Cikini, Central Jakarta as quoted by Bisnis.com, Tuesday (22/10).
Ms Indrawati’s competence, Ms Hartarti added, has been attested as Finance Minister. Prior to serving in Mr Widodo’s cabinet, Ms Indrawati also served as Finance Minister in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s first term.
“There are academics or senior officials in the ministry, but can they be accepted by [Mr Widodo’s] coalition parties or be trusted to challenge those with conflicts of interest? I believe Ms Indrawati is beyond competent, as has been proven in the past five years,” Ms Hartarti added.
However, Ms Hartarti asserted that Ms Indrawati still has several issues to resolve in relation to fiscal management to boost economic growth.
“This has been a big problem, and it needs to be ensured that all budgets distributed by the ministry are not only assessed as Reasonable Without Exception. More importantly, State and Regional Budgets must effectively contribute to Indonesia’s economic performance,” she said. (MS)