Sri Mulyani Not Tired Of Reminding: Health Protocol And Vaccination For COVID-19 Are Keys To Economic Recovery

Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani. (Photo: Instagram @smindrawati)

JAKARTA - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that discipline in implementing health protocols and vaccination will control the COVID-19 pandemic so that it will be the key to economic recovery in 2021.

"With community mobility and activities recovering, consumption, investment and exports will be able to run," said Sri Mulyani when speaking at the Webinar of the Board of Trustees at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, January 27.

According to her, the State Budget instrument will be the most important part, including supporting and protecting the community and the business world so that they can survive and recover. In 2021, the government will focus on supporting economic recovery and handling COVID-19.

The Ministry of Finance, she said, went the extra mile to achieve the state revenue target which is projected to reach IDR 1,743.6 trillion.

However, state spending is projected to reach IDR 2,750 trillion higher, so the government predicts a deficit in 2021 to reach 5.07 percent.

She explained that state spending would be managed for a national priority program, namely the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic including vaccinations, which are estimated to cost IDR 73 trillion.

"Also upholding health discipline and handling other health sectors. This needs to be addressed not only by the central government but also local governments and the private sector," she said.

The 2021 State Budget, the Minister of Finance continued, is also directed at strategic policies including the quality of human resources with an education budget allocation of up to IDR 550 trillion.

Apart from human resources, infrastructure also reached IDR 417.4 trillion, health IDR 169.7 trillion, food security IDR 99 trillion, tourism IDR 14.2 trillion, social protection IDR 408 trillion, and information and communication technology IDR 26 trillion.

"This is a strategic 2021 program which is expected to support economic recovery in 2021 and all programs for handling COVID. National economic recovery can run if all stakeholders participate in maintaining health discipline," she said.