Indonesian govt urged to ramp up spending as recession looms

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo visits a post office in Bogor, West Java, to supervise the distribution of cash assistance to residents on May 13. Economists have urged the government to ramp up spending and control the coronavirus spread to speed up recovery as Indonesia's economy contracts for the first time since 1999. - Antara

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): Economists have urged the government to ramp up state spending and control the coronavirus spread to speed up recovery as Indonesia's economy contracts for the first time since 1999.

The gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of goods and services produced, shrunk 5.32 per cent year-on-year (yoy) in the second quarter, the steepest decline since the first quarter of 1999, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Wednesday (Aug 5).