The Economist For Prediction Of Food Stability Into Selling Candidates For The 2024 General Election

Screenshot of Economist and Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bhima Yudhistira. (Photo: VOI/Theresia Agatha)

JAKARTA - Indonesia will enter the political year in 2023. The stability of food prices and fertilizers is predicted to be one of the main promises that have emerged in the campaign for presidential and vice presidential candidates ahead of the 2024 election.

This is because food stability will directly affect the economy and the community's kitchen.

This was revealed by Economist and Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bhima Yudhistira, in the "Momentum of Economic and Political Consolidation" Business Challenges 2023 Webinar online, Thursday, December 15.

Bhima said the problem of food price stability has always been the subject of a campaign in the political year.

However, in 2023 and 2024, conditions will be different due to the threat of global supply and food inflation, so the challenges will be very large.

According to him, the candidates participating in the election must realize that the effect of food stability will affect their position in the upcoming 2024 political party contestation. One of the sales that will emerge is related to the populism of the need for food imports to maintain domestic availability.

"All (election participants) must be able to maintain food price stability before the election, including fertilizers, because in various countries there are now threats of a food crisis and scarcity of fertilizers, that is also if inflation is too high, the political costs will be much more expensive," Bhima said as quoted on Friday, December 16.

He said that the promise of election participants regarding populist matters, such as promises to maintain food prices and encourage fertilizer subsidies, is actually legal, although candidates must ensure that when they are elected, they will continue to commit to the policy to protect the community.

"Actually, balancing populism to win short-term votes with those that really have something to do with long-term resilience," said Bhima.

He even suggested that the central and local governments be able to ensure food price stability.

"In addition to being good for the economy and society, it will also encourage smoother election implementation," he said.