President To Lead Team To Monitor Implementation Of Deregulation Packages

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Cabinet secretary Pramono Anung said here on Tuesday that President Joko Widodo would personally lead the team to monitor the implementation of deregulation packages issued by the government.

"It will be personally led by the President to assure it will be effective down to regions," Pramono Anung spoke during a press conference after a limited cabinet meeting to review the first through twelfth economic policy packages that have been issued by the government through the presidential office.

Pramono said the economic policies were, in essence, aimed at streamlining laws to ease investment in Indonesia.

"If regulations have been issued at a higher level, then those at the lower level must be revoked. Right now, there are still several ministerial regulations or bylaws that remain, despite the fact that regulations have been issued at the higher level," he said.

Pramono added that it would be useless for good policy packages to be issued for medium and long-term purposes if they could not be implemented immediately.

"The economy grew 4.92 percent in the first quarter. The hope is it will be higher in the second quarter. Last year, we started with 4.7 percent growth, and now it is at 4.92 percent. It is hoped it will continue to rise," he said.

The cabinet secretary noted that the President has sought an improvement in the country's ease of doing business index, from 109 at present to a target of 40.

Coordinating minister for economic affairs Darmin Nasution said that the Deregulation Monitoring Team would seek to assure that the first to twelfth economic policy packages would be followed in the regions.

He noted that the number of regulations issued in the economic packages reached 203.

"Ninety-six percent of the total, or 194 regulations in the form of presidential regulations, ministerial regulations and so on have been finished, while four percent, or nine regulations, have not," he said.(WDY)