Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, remembers the figure of Kwik Kian Gie as a nationalist economist who played an important role in navigating the Indonesian economy in difficult times after the 1998 monetary crisis.
Airlangga said that the experience of Kwik Kian Gie, who had served as Coordinating Minister for Equiin and the Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), was an important part of the history of national economic recovery.
"He (Kwik Kian Gie) was once the Coordinating Minister for Equiin, was in Bappenas, and it was in an Indonesian economic situation that was not okay. In the post-discrimination period 98," he said when met at Sentosa Funeral Home, Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital, Jakarta, Tuesday, July 29.
He explained, during this period, various reforms were carried out both in terms of regulations and development planning. The role of Kwik was felt in the process, which according to Airlangga is an important basis for Indonesia's future development direction.
"Of course, Indonesia has learned a lot about how to navigate the turbulence. And the turbulence is handled in time, maybe I don't know, there are also many reforms in terms of laws and regulations in planning," Airlangga continued.
Airlangga assessed that Kwik is not only an economist, but also a statesman who is able to see economic problems from a national perspective.
"So the figure of Mr. Kwik Kian Gie as an economist and nationalist is very visible. So that is the economic navigation to face the crisis until 2004. Then of course what he did became a legacy in our development planning, how in that situation we could sail again and finally we passed and until now," he said.
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Airlangga also revealed that he communicated quite often with Kwik, especially when he served in Bappenas. "When he was in Bappenas, he often communicated," he said.
Short Profile Of Kwik Kian Gie
Kwik Kian Gie was born on January 11, 1935 in Juwana, Pati, Central Java. He is known as an economist and Indonesian politician of Chinese descent.
In his career, Kwik served as Coordinating Minister for Economic, Finance and Industry (Menko Ekuin) in 1999 '2000, Head of Bappenas in 2001'2004, and Deputy Chair of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 1999.
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