JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto departed for Cairo, Egypt, to attend the D-8 Summit and conduct a state visit.
In this regard, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, in his statement, stated that one of the main focuses of the D-8 Summit this time is strengthening the MSME sector.
According to him, Indonesia has a lot of experience in empowering MSMEs, including digitalization, which can be shared with D-8 member countries.
“Of course, we can share this with other D-8 countries,” said Airlangga.
In addition, he emphasized the importance of MSMEs as economic drivers in developing countries and emphasized the need for equal opportunities for small business actors in the D-8.
“Unlike other meetings that tend to end in large-scale investments, here we focus on opening up market opportunities that can be utilized together,” he added.
On the other hand, President Prabowo’s policy in supporting MSMEs has received appreciation.
Chairman of Commission XI of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mukhamad Misbakhun, assessed President Prabowo’s steps, such as the MSME bad debt amnesty program, as proof of the government’s support.
“President Prabowo’s government wants to provide support for MSMEs to rise. This is a follow-up to the PPSK Law that was approved in January 2023,” Misbakhun explained.
Misbakhun added that this policy is very important for the MSME sector, especially in the fields of agriculture and fisheries which are the mainstay of many small communities.
According to him, this sector was affected by the 1998 economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, so that credit restructuring did not run optimally.
“I believe the government prioritizes MSMEs, especially in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, because of their great contribution to the economy of the common people. President Prabowo, with his background as a former HKTI Chairman, certainly has special concern for farmers and fishermen,” Misbakhun emphasized.
