Boediono: Indonesia needs continuous infrastructure development

Saturday, 1 August 2009

ANTARA News Agency

The Jakarta Post Vice President-elect Boediono said Indonesia's infrastructure network needs to be continuously strengthened in order to improve the country's conditions and lift it up from the impact of the global economic crisis.

"Many countries have collapsed because of the global economic crisis and only countries with a strong economic structure like Indonesia have been able to withstand the crunch," Boediono said in Padang, West Sumatra, on Saturday.

Boediono said infrastructure development should be on top of the country's priorities because it was important for national development at present and in the future.

"I will try to spur infrastructure development continually because it is an urgent demand that cannot wait to be met," Boediono said, adding that infrastructure development should be carried out evenly in urban and rural areas to reduce transportation costs.

Such a policy , he said, was necessary to support agricultural revitalization.

"If agricultural revitalization is carried out properly and supported by good infrastructure, farmers in rural areas will have no difficulty marketing their products in the cities and towns," he said.

In addition to adequate infrastructure facilities, Boediono said, there should also be a safety net to help poor people deal with the consequences of the global economic crisis.

"Without a social safety net such as rice for poor people (raskin), direct cash assistance, and the national program for people's empowerment, the poor will be unable to survive," Boediono said.

He said the social safety net in the future should continue to be maintained for the poor people until the global economic crisis was over.